{"id":67492,"date":"2024-04-23T16:12:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-23T21:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/?p=67492"},"modified":"2024-04-23T16:12:02","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T21:12:02","slug":"the-world-dumps-2000-truckloads-of-plastic-into-the-ocean-each-day-heres-where-a-lot-of-it-ends-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/?p=67492","title":{"rendered":"The world dumps 2,000 truckloads of plastic into the ocean each day. Here\u2019s where a lot of it ends up"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The world dumps 2,000 truckloads of plastic into the ocean each day. Here\u2019s where a lot of it ends up<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A local fisherman performs maintenance on his boat while surrounded by trash washed up on Loji Beach in West Java, Indonesia.<\/p>\n

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The western coast of Java in Indonesia is popular with surfers for its world-famous breaks. There\u2019s a majestic underwater world to explore, too. But it\u2019s impossible to surf or snorkel without running into plastic water bottles, single-use cups and food wrappers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The garbage sometimes forms islands in the sea, and much of it washes ashore, accumulating as mountains on the beach.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The world produces around\u00a0400 million metric tons of plastic waste<\/a>\u00a0each year. Every day,\u00a02,000 truckloads<\/a> of it is dumped into the ocean, rivers and lakes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Despite global efforts to give plastic products longer lives, only 9% of them are actually recycled. Most plastic waste goes into landfills or is shipped to places like Indonesia and other Southeast Asian nations, many of which are already drowning in their own plastic pollution.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Clearing beaches of litter in Indonesia is no small task. The country is the world\u2019s second-biggest producer of plastic waste. As the world\u2019s longest archipelago \u2014 stretching over the same distance as London to New York \u2014 Indonesia has a vast coastline and three times the amount of sea surface area than land, making fishing an industry that 12 million people rely on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Without adequate state services to keep the beaches clear of litter, fishing communities are on the front lines of the clean-up.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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