The plastic pollution problem is an issue locally, nationally, and internationally. All communities are affected but at different degrees. We need to work together globally to address this major problem.
All countries globally are contributing to the plastic pollution issue however, Southeast Asia is a major contributor. Their nations have poor municipal rubbish collection systems which leads to more trash in our oceans. 55 to 60% of plastic waste entering the oceans comes from five countries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. WWF posts a great report on addressing marine plastic pollution in Asia.
Even though marine plastic pollution in Asia is still a large issue, new data and studies show that the United States may be the largest producer of plastic waste in the world. It is important to realize that it isn’t just Asia causing plastic waste problems. China is the largest manufacturer of plastic, but the US is the largest generator of plastic waste. The US needs to improve how they handle plastic waste and reduce the need for plastic overall.
Plastic pollution is also a problem in the Bay Area. An important article that came out in early October 2019 showed that the San Francisco Bay is highly polluted with microplastics. Microplastics are plastic particles that are smaller than five millimeters in diameters that pose a threat to human health and marine ecosystems. Bay Area researchers discovered that a lot of microplastics in stormwater are from car tires or pellets used in artificial turf. This plastic ends up into storm drains and into the Bay.
This article shows how stormwater is the largest source of pollution to the San Francisco Bay and what pollutants end up in the stormater.
