waste

The United States generates more plastic waste per capita than any large nation — 130 kg per person per year. But the Philippines, Indonesia, and India contribute the most plastic to the ocean. How you rank countries on plastic pollution depends entirely on whether you measure production, per-capita waste, or ocean contribution.

A 2021 model of more than 1,000 rivers put the Philippines first, at about 36 percent of plastic carried to the sea by rivers, followed by India, Malaysia, China, and Indonesia. The ranking says as much about geography and waste systems as about consumption, and the estimates carry large uncertainty.