Law Kara Lavender, Starr Natalie, Siegler Theodore R, Jambeck Jenna R, Mallos Nicholas J, Leonard George H
Sea Education Association, Woods Hole, MA, USA.
DSM Environmental Services, Windsor, VT, USA.
Sci Adv. 2020 Oct 30;6(44). doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abd0288. Print 2020 Oct.
Plastic waste affects environmental quality and ecosystem health. In 2010, an estimated 5 to 13 million metric tons (Mt) of plastic waste entered the ocean from both developing countries with insufficient solid waste infrastructure and high-income countries with very high waste generation. We demonstrate that, in 2016, the United States generated the largest amount of plastic waste of any country in the world (42.0 Mt). Between 0.14 and 0.41 Mt of this waste was illegally dumped in the United States, and 0.15 to 0.99 Mt was inadequately managed in countries that imported materials collected in the United States for recycling. Accounting for these contributions, the amount of plastic waste generated in the United States estimated to enter the coastal environment in 2016 was up to five times larger than that estimated for 2010, rendering the United States' contribution among the highest in the world.
塑料垃圾影响环境质量和生态系统健康。2010年，据估计，500万至1300万公吨的塑料垃圾从固体废物基础设施不足的发展中国家和垃圾产生量极高的高收入国家流入海洋。我们证明，2016年，美国产生的塑料垃圾量位居世界各国之首（4200万公吨）。其中，0.14万至0.41万公吨的垃圾在美国被非法倾倒，0.15万至0.99万公吨的垃圾在进口美国回收材料的国家管理不善。考虑到这些因素，2016年美国产生的估计进入沿海环境的塑料垃圾量比2010年估计的高出五倍，使美国成为世界上贡献最大的国家之一。
