Plastic Pollution: America's Most Affected Regions

Plastic pollution is a pressing issue, with plastic production sharply increasing over the last 70 years. While plastic has added value to our lives in various ways, it becomes an environmental pollutant when it is not recycled, incinerated, or properly disposed of in sealed landfills. The United States, in particular, has been identified as one of the top contributors to ocean plastic pollution, generating more plastic waste than any other country. This waste ends up not only in the oceans but also on U.S. soil through littering and illegal dumping, affecting the health and well-being of its citizens.

Plastic pollution in the oceans

The United States is one of the top contributors to ocean plastic pollution, generating 42 million metric tons of plastic waste in 2016, more than any other country. Up to 2.2 million metric tons of this waste ended up in the ocean. The US has also been exporting large amounts of plastic waste to other countries, particularly since China banned imported plastic waste in 2017, resulting in increased waste shipments to Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand.

In addition, plastic pollution has negative impacts on human health. Microplastics, which are tiny particles of plastic that do not fully degrade, have been found in drinking water, salt, beer, and soil. They can affect the body's endocrine system, causing developmental, neurological, reproductive, and immune disorders. Toxic contaminants that accumulate on plastic surfaces are also transferred to humans through seafood consumption.

Furthermore, plastic production and incineration contribute to the climate crisis by emitting greenhouse gases. According to a CIEL analysis, if plastic production continues on its current trajectory, it could be responsible for 13% of the Earth's carbon budget by 2050.

To address the problem of plastic pollution in the oceans, it is crucial to improve waste management systems and increase recycling efforts. Reducing the use of disposable packaging and single-use plastics is also essential. While it is challenging to retrieve plastic from the ocean once it has entered, preventing plastic waste from entering rivers and seas in the first place is the best solution, according to many scientists and conservationists.

Plastic waste burning

The open burning of plastic waste is prevalent in many countries, including India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Zambia, despite laws and policies prohibiting it. The harmful effects of plastic burning are often overlooked, and regulations against it have proven largely ineffective. Burning plastic does not eliminate waste but transforms it into something else that is often equally or more detrimental. For example, it releases greenhouse gases and cancer-causing chemicals like dioxins and furans.

Additionally, burning plastic waste can leave solid ash or slag residue, which still needs to be disposed of, and the process of burning requires a constant supply of waste to fuel it, encouraging more plastic production. Thus, plastic waste burning undermines the primary solution to plastic pollution, which is to reduce plastic production and usage.

The plastic industry promotes burning as a solution to enable continued plastic production, but it is not a form of recycling. True recycling involves recovering materials before they become waste to reduce the need for new raw materials, which is not achieved by burning. Therefore, to address plastic pollution, the focus should be on reducing, reusing, and recycling plastic, rather than burning it.

Plastic recycling

Plastic pollution is a critical issue in the United States, and recycling is a key aspect of addressing this problem. However, the plastic recycling rate in the US has been low and declining in recent years. In 2018, the recycling rate was 8.7%, but it fell to just 5-6% in 2021, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This decline is partly due to a sharp drop in plastic waste exports, as countries like China and Turkey have banned the import of plastic waste.

The US generates a significant amount of plastic waste. In 2018, the country produced 35.7 million tons of plastic, which was 12.2% of municipal solid waste (MSW) generation. The containers and packaging category had the most plastic tonnage, with over 14.5 million tons in 2018. This category includes items such as bags, sacks, wraps, bottles, jars, and other containers. Despite the large volume of plastic waste being generated, the majority of it is not recycled. According to the Last Beach Cleanup and Beyond Plastics report, about 85% of plastic ends up in landfills, with 10% being incinerated.

The low recycling rate in the US is a cause for concern, especially considering the environmental impact of plastic pollution. Plastic pollution affects wildlife and ecosystems and contributes to climate change. Greenhouse gases are emitted at almost every stage of plastic's lifecycle, from production to waste management. To address this issue, there have been calls for an overhaul of plastic manufacturing, consumption, and recycling practices.

To improve plastic recycling in the US, there is a need for better waste management infrastructure and recycling programs. The bipartisan infrastructure bill passed last year included funding to support these initiatives. Additionally, there is a push for the reduction and reuse of single-use plastics, as well as the adoption of refill systems. Bans on single-use plastic items such as bags, food containers, and utensils are becoming more popular, and some places, like California and the European Union, have already implemented such restrictions.

While recycling is an important part of the solution, it is not enough on its own. As Jan Dell, founder of The Last Beach Cleanup, stated, "We can't stay in the single-use plastic nightmare scenario that we are right now. There's no way to sort our way out of this without reducing waste to start with." Therefore, a combination of improved recycling practices and a reduction in plastic waste generation is necessary to address plastic pollution in the United States.

Plastic waste exports

The United States is a top contributor to ocean plastic pollution, with a significant amount of its plastic waste ending up in the oceans each year. In 2016, the US generated 42 million metric tons of plastic waste, with up to 2.2 million metric tons ending up in the ocean. The country's plastic waste exports have significant implications for plastic pollution globally, especially in poorer countries with inadequate waste management infrastructure.

The US exported around 920 million pounds of scrap plastic in 2023, a decrease from previous years. The leading destinations for US plastic scrap exports in 2023 were neighbouring countries Canada and Mexico, which together accounted for more than half of exports. Asian countries, including India, Malaysia, and Vietnam, received the second-largest share of US plastic scrap exports.

Until 2017, China was the primary destination for US plastic waste exports. However, a total ban on recovered plastic imports imposed by China in 2018 significantly changed the landscape of the plastic waste trade. Since the ban, US waste shipments to countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand have increased.

In May 2024, 36% of total US exports, amounting to 12.4 million kg/month, were shipped to non-OECD countries. The states with the highest exports to non-OECD countries were New Jersey (15%), Georgia (12%), Texas (12%), and California (11%).

Impact of Plastic Waste Exports

The export of plastic waste from the US and other richer countries to poorer nations has severe environmental and health consequences. Poorly managed waste can leak into oceans, waterways, and landfills, contributing to plastic pollution and affecting wildlife and ecosystems. While the plastic waste trade makes sense from an economic standpoint, with low-income nations benefiting from cost-effective material supply, it has detrimental effects on the environment.

The US's failure to ratify the global ban on plastic waste exports and its continued shipment of plastic scrap to poorer countries have drawn criticism from environmental watchdog groups. Despite agreements to curb the trade in plastic waste, American exporters continue to send plastic waste overseas, often to countries that have agreed not to accept it.

To address the plastic pollution crisis, there have been calls to stop exporting plastic waste and improve waste management strategies, particularly in low-to-middle-income countries.

Plastic waste in landfills

The low recycling rates for plastic can be attributed to a variety of factors, including a "decades-long misinformation campaign to perpetuate the myth that plastic is recyclable". The three-arrow recycling symbol is often misleading, as most municipalities only recycle certain types of plastics. This has led to consumer confusion, with people putting non-recyclable plastics into their recycling bins, contaminating loads that then end up in landfills or incineration.

The problem of plastic waste in landfills is further exacerbated by the fact that the US does not have the capacity to recycle all of its own plastic waste. The US has been exporting its plastic waste to other countries for recycling, but this has become more difficult since China banned the import of non-industrial plastic waste from the US in 2017. As a result, plastic waste exports from the US have decreased, and more plastic waste is ending up in landfills.

The accumulation of plastic waste in landfills has significant environmental consequences. Plastic waste is not just an environmental issue, but also a waste management and land use issue, as landfills are closing in many areas. Additionally, plastic waste represents a lost energy opportunity. Scientists have calculated that the energy value of landfilled plastic waste in the US in 2019 was enough to supply 5% of the power used by the country's transportation sector or 5.5% by the industrial sector.

To address the problem of plastic waste in landfills, there is a need for new laws that reduce the amount of plastic packaging and encourage the development of new recycling techniques. Developing a circular economy, where discarded plastics are reused instead of virgin plastics, could create economic incentives and help to reduce the amount of plastic waste ending up in landfills.

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