Humans generated 1.8bn tonnes of solid waste in 2016
Humans generated 1.8bn tonnes of solid waste in 2016, including 220m tonnes of plastic, according to the World Bank.
By 2050, that figure may rise to as much as much 3.1bn tonnes annually.
When China banned imports of global waste, particularly plastics, in January 2018, it created a knock-on effect whereby shipments were diverted to Southeast Asia, which soon became overwhelmed, forcing those governments into action.
Now nations across Asia are declining imports of plastic, which for decades had fed their recycling plants. As the amounts of waste increased, so too did the tainted garbage that could not be easily recycled.
Typically, 30% of plastic is contaminated, which often times ends up being illegally burned at night in a palm oil plantation – plastic smoke smells like palm oil.
