According to the World Bank, 5 trillion single-use plastic bags are used around the world daily. More than half of the plastics produced around the world are developed to be used only once and most of these end up in the ocean.
Currently, almost all the plastic around the world is dumped into the ocean. The World Bank says if the trend continues, oceans will have more plastic than fish by the year 2050.
Nearly 513 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans every year. 80 percent of the plastic that is filling our oceans comes from 20 countries in the world.
Plastic waste is threatening marine life. Millions of aquatic animals are dying every day around the world as a result of consuming plastic.
Here are the top 10 countries that are choking our oceans with plastic:
- China
- Indonesia
- Philippines
- Vietnam
- Sri Lanka
- Egypt
- Thailand
- Malaysia
- Nigeria
- Bangladesh
From the above list, the top five polluters of oceans through plastic waste are China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka.
China contributes about 8.82 million tons of plastic wastage into the earth’s oceans every year. Indonesia and the Philippines contribute 3.22 and 1.88 million tons of plastic into oceans annually respectively.
Vietnam sends at least 1.83 million tons of plastic into oceans followed by Sri Lanka with 1.59 million tones. Thailand, Egypt, and Malaysia are guilty of contributing 1.03, 0.97, and 0.94 million tons of plastic wastage to oceans annually.
Nigeria, Bangladesh, and South Africa have been sending 0.85, 0.79 and 0.63 million tons of plastic waste to the oceans. Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa top the list of African countries that are helping in choking the oceans.
Read:
- Here is Why That Plastic is Injecting Cancer in Your Body
- President Uhuru Bans Single-Use Plastics in all Protected Areas in Kenya
Kenya became among the few countries in the world that banned the use of plastic bags although some have found their way back due to loopholes in agencies that are supposed to enforce the law.
Efforts are underway to ban the use of plastic bottles or force manufacturers to always recycle them.
Here is a list of top 10 countries that banned the use of plastic bags or placed high taxes in place:
- Kenya
- Mali
- Cameroon
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Ethiopia
- Malawi
- Morocco
- South Africa (still in use though)
- Rwanda
- Botswana