A British survey report on global marine litter shows that Malaysians throw as much as 2.29 kilograms of plastic waste into the ocean per person in a year, ranking fifth on the global list.
The survey was conducted by the UK-based Utility Bidder team on 138 countries around the world and found that the Philippines (3.3 kilograms of plastic per capita) topped the list, followed by Suriname (2.89 kilograms), the twin-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago (2.55 kilograms), the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia (2.45 kilograms), and the United States of America (2.25 kilograms). 2.45 kilograms).
According to the report, more than 350,000 tons of plastic waste enters the oceans from the Philippines every year, accounting for 36 per cent of the total global marine plastic waste. The Philippines introduced the Extended Producer Responsibility Act last year, which requires companies to take full responsibility for the life cycle of their products, including waste management.
The report also noted that the likelihood of plastic waste that has not been properly disposed of entering the ocean may vary depending on climate, topography, and distance from rivers. In this regard, Palau has the highest chance of plastic waste entering the ocean (13.74%) in the world, followed by Singapore (10.49%) and Solomon Islands (10.34%).
The report also mentions the export of garbage, stating that the Central European country of Slovenia will export 62.58 kilograms of plastic garbage per capita in 2021, more than any other country in the world, followed by the Netherlands (36.54 kilograms), Belgium (29.94 kilograms), Austria (18.88 kilograms), and Luxembourg (17.37 kilograms).
