According to World Atlas nearly 13 million tons of plastics wind up in the oceans every year. But the really scary part is that a whopping 80% come from just 20 countries in the World. And Asian countries are the worst offenders. The countries which are polluting the ocean though may surprise you.

China, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Sri Lanka are the top five polluters of plastic in the world’s oceans, while the Wall Street Journal also notes that India and the United States are also large contributors.

The Culture of Using Plastic Has to Change

In many places such as the EU, UK and Canada plastic usage has been reduced dramatically. Australia and New Zealand led an effort to eliminate or at least charge for plastic bags and single use plastic products such as straws are disappearing across North American and Europe. In Asia however, single use plastic remains common.

Just How Much Plastic Pollution is Created

China is the major polluter contributing 8.82 tons of plastic waste which winds up in the earth’s seas annually. This is followed by Indonesia (3.22 tons), the Philippines (1.88 tons), Vietnam (1.83 tons) and Sri Lanka (1.59 tons). Other countries scubas Thailand (1.03 tons), Egypt (0.97 tons), Malaysia (0.94 tons), Nigeria (0.85 tons), Bangladesh (0.79 tons), and South Africa (0.63 tons) also contribute significant tons of pollution.

The answer is to change culture and to eliminate as much plastic usage as possible, encourage recycling and proper disposal and finally to educate people as to the problems created by plastic in the earth’s oceans. The countries which are polluting the ocean the most clearly have to do better.