Study: 1 to 2 million tons of US plastic trash go astray A new study finds that well more than a million tons of plastic waste in the U.S. isn't going where it should, instead ending up in oceans and rivers and along roadsMore than a million tons a year of America's plastic trash isn't ending up where it should. In 2016 — the last year enough data was available and before several countries cracked down on imports of American waste — the United States generated 46.3 million tons (42 million metric tons) of plastic waste, by far the most in the world. Between 1.2 million and 2.5 million tons (1.1 million to 2.2 million metric tons) of plastic generated in the U.S. were dropped on land, rivers, lakes and oceans as litter, were illegally dumped or shipped abroad then not properly disposed of, the study found. The study estimated that 560,000 to 1.6 million tons (510,000 to 1.5 million metric tons) of U.S. plastic waste likely went into oceans. “We consume a lot of plastic per capita which then becomes plastic waste.

Source: ABC News October 30, 2020 18:15 UTC