New Report Cited India as the World's Biggest Plastic Polluter

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): A new study report by the University of Leeds published in the journal Nature indicates that India is now the world’s biggest plastic polluter. The country accounts for almost one-fifth of the global plastic emissions.

The study report states that India produces 9.3 million tonnes (Mt) of plastic garbage annually, of which nearly 90% is municipal waste. According to the report, the official waste generation rate of the nation is understated, at about 0.12 kg per capita per day. The study also mentions the possibility that the collection is probably overstated.

The second largest plastic polluter in the world is Nigeria. The country generated around 3.5 Mt of plastic waste, the report said. In third place was Indonesia, whose plastic waste generation totaled 3.4 Mt. The other countries to feature in the top ten list are: China (2.8 Mt), Pakistan (2.6 Mt), Bangladesh (1.7 Mt), Russia (1.7 Mt), Brazil (1.4 Mt), Thailand (1 Mt) and Congo (1 Mt).

It is anticipated that 52 million tons of plastic garbage entered the environment in 2020. According to the study, uncollected waste is the source of more than two thirds of the global plastic pollution. Moreover, about 15% of the world's population does not have access to waste collection services.

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