Asia must lead in tackling the plastic waste crisis

OUR world has a plastic waste crisis and Asia is at the epicentre.

More than half the plastic debris in our oceans comes from just five countries - all of them in Asia. The main reason is poor waste collection and recycling systems.

As Asia's emerging economies grow, so too does their plastic consumption. The World Bank has linked higher income levels and urbanisation rates to greater amounts of solid waste. In 1978, the average plastic usage per person was around 2 kg; in 2017 it was 43 kg.