The Philippines is responsible for some 356,371 metric tonnes of plastic waste in the planet’s oceans on an annual basis, well ahead of second-placed India, which accounts for 126,513 metric tonnes, new data indicates.
According to Original Travel, citing data from GreenMatch, ‘nine of the world’s highest plastic polluting countries can currently be found in Asia’, with the so-called ‘Pearl of the Orient’ the top culprit.
Other major contributors to ocean plastic waste include Malaysia with 73,098 metric tonnes, China with 70,707 metric tonnes, and Indonesia with 56,333 metric tonnes. Myanmar (40,000 metric tonnes), Brazil (37,799 metric tonnes), Vietnam (28,221 metric tonnes), Bangladesh (24,640 metric tonnes), and Thailand (22,806 metric tonnes) complete the top ten.
As Original Travel noted, this mass influx of plastic has contributed to an increase in the pH level of the world’s oceans over time, with the pH level currently standing at 8.1. This is a 30% increase on the pre-industrial age.
Original Travel revealed the findings in an article entitled 40 facts and statistics about tourism and ocean sustainability, which can be found here.
Ocean plastic
According to GreenMatch, an estimated 75 to 199 million tonnes of plastic are currently present in the world’s oceans, with 92% of microplastics present in 60% of the fish that are consumed by humans each year.
Asia is responsible for 81% of ocean plastic pollution, largely due to inadequate waste management, the prevalence of single-use plastics, and limited recycling infrastructure.
If current trends continue, the total amount of plastic in our oceans and waterways will outweigh all the fish in the sea by 2050. Read more here.
Top 10 Highest Ocean Plastic Waste Polluters (annual metric tonnes)
| Rank | Country | Annual Plastic Waste (metric tonnes) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philippines | 360,000 |
| 2 | India | 130,000 |
| 3 | Malaysia | 73,000 |
| 4 | China | 71,000 |
| 5 | Indonesia | 56,000 |
| 6 | Myanmar | 40,000 |
| 7 | Brazil | 38,000 |
| 8 | Vietnam | 28,000 |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 25,000 |
| 10 | Thailand | 23,000 |
