FACT BRIEF

Does the US mismanage less than 1% of its plastic waste?

Monday, December 6, 2021

By Jacob Alabab-Moser

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In 2016, the estimated rate of plastic waste mismanaged by the U.S. was between 2.33% and 2.99% of plastic waste generated, according to a peer-reviewed Science Advances study. Examples of mismanagement include litter, illegal dumping, inadequate domestic waste management, and inadequate management in countries that import plastic waste from the U.S.

The U.S. generates more plastic waste than any other country (17% of the world's total) and ranks 12th for the amount of mismanaged waste. It also had the third-largest amount of mismanaged plastic waste in a coastal environment globally.

Given the scale of the issue, a recent National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report urges the creation of a national strategy to reduce the amount of plastic waste the U.S. releases into the ocean, including steps to reduce waste at all stages of the plastic waste cycle.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Science The United States’ contribution of plastic waste to land and ocean

Our Shared Seas Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean

National Geographic US generates more plastic trash than any other nation, report finds

National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine US should create national strategy by end of 2022 to reduce its increasing contribution to global ocean plastic waste, says new report

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