Latin American organisations urge US to curb plastic waste export

Various Latin American environmental experts and organisations have asked the US to decrease plastic waste exports to the region. The US is the biggest contributor to global plastic waste in the world as it contributed around 42 million metric tons of plastic waste in 2016. Also, a report revealed that the US had doubled exports to some countries in Latin America during the first seven months of 2020. 

As per a study by the Last Beach Cleanup, over 75 per cent of imports to the region come to Mexico as it received more than 32,650 tons. El Salvador was second, with 4,054 tons. Ecuador was in the third position third, with 3,665 tons.

Fernanda Solíz, the health area director at the Simón Bolívar University, in a report by The Guardian said, "The cross-border plastic waste trade is perhaps one of the most nefarious expressions of the commercialisation of common goods and the colonial occupation of territories of the geopolitical south to turn them into sacrifice zones."

Also read | 'Global scale deluge': Report reveals US is the world's biggest plastic polluter

Meanwhile, a report titled "Reckoning with the US Role in Global Ocean Plastic Waste," states that every American generates 130 kg of plastic waste per year. 

Accounting to a 20-fold increase over half a century, global plastic production increased from 20 million metric tons in 1966 to 381 million metric tons in 2015. 

There are a few nations that are doing their bit to fight against the problem of increasing plastic. For instance, the UK government is planning to ban single-use plastic plates and cutlery and polystyrene cups. France has decided to ban plastic packaging for nearly all fruit and vegetables from January 2022 in a bid to reduce plastic waste, followed by Spain which aims at banning the sale of fruit and vegetables wrapped in plastic from 2023.

(With inputs from agencies)