[nostromo]

> Whenever you pay cheaply for anything made in any third world country, you're externalizing the societal cost of pollution to that country

That's true maybe when it comes to atmospheric pollution, but not with plastic waste in rivers and the ocean.

The majority of plastic found in rivers and the ocean are not industrial waste but post consumer waste... things like cigarette butts, plastic bags, and food wrappers.

[uhhhhhhh]

>That's true maybe when it comes to atmospheric pollution, but not with plastic waste in rivers and the ocean.

A large amount of that is waste exported to those third world countries, especially plastics for recycling.

[zcid]

I've seen this tossed around a lot the last few months, but I've yet to see any evidence of its truth. Do you have a link to a study or some other source for this?

[guessy]

"China has been a major destination for Australia's recycled waste, with around 1.3 million tonnes exported in 2016–17. This accounted for 4 per cent of Australia's total recyclable waste, but included significant amounts of recyclable plastics and recyclable paper (35 per cent and 30 per cent of Australia's totals)."

https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Sen...

[Tsubasachan]

There was a Dutch journalist who went to Poland and saw those recycling centers just burn the plastics in open pits.

This is why countries need to clean up their own mess and not sell their waste to a foreign company to be recycled offshore. But out of sight out of mind I guess.

[soperj]

The US was a major destination for Toronto waste. Don't know where it ends up afterwards.

[gpm]

Uh, I don't think the US has declined quite far enough to be called third world yet.

Disclaimer (?): Am from Toronto

[sonnyblarney]

If that is the case then again, the issue is on the receiving nation.

Richer nations are not externalizing their garbage, they're literally paying for it. If the receivers are not doing their job and putting it in the Earth, then that's not just some industrial by-product problem, it's point blank corruption.

Also, if it's consumer items in the Ocean, then the issue will be about where most consumers are, and how much they pollute, given that the issue might be Asia.

But the West obviously has enough of it's problems so it's not like anyone can point fingers really.

[uhhhhhhh]

>Richer nations are not externalizing their garbage, they're literally paying for it

They are externalizing it, selling what they can, paying others to take it but not paying the true costs of properly recycling it in the first place.

> If the receivers are not doing their job and putting it in the Earth, then that's not just some industrial by-product problem, it's point blank corruption.

If we know this and continue to sell it to them, are we any less at fault? the answer is no.

>Also, if it's consumer items in the Ocean, then the issue will be about where most consumers are, and how much they pollute, given that the issue might be Asia.

Its thrown away consumer items, which as explained are shipped to asia from western countries as waste.

>But the West obviously has enough of it's problems so it's not like anyone can point fingers really.

everyone sucks, everyone needs to do better. No exceptions.