98% of plastic pollution is solvable. And quite simply. An analysis by Our World in Data shows surprisingly simple...

World in Data states that:

- out of every 5 kg of plastic waste in the world, 1 kg ends up in the environment

- wealthy countries produce 63 kg of plastic waste per person, but only 0.1 kg of pollution — thanks to effective collection and landfilling

- poor countries produce 16 kg of waste per person, but 10 kg of it ends up as pollution

- the difference in pollution is 100‑fold — not because of consumption, but because of waste management

The problem is that in low‑income countries less than half of household waste is collected. People have no other option but to burn it or dump it. Even the collected waste often ends up in open dumps.

Wealthy countries spend ~50 USD per person on waste management. Poor countries spend at most 1 USD. Yet every dollar invested in basic infrastructure in a poor country prevents 25,000 × more pollution than the same dollar in a wealthy country.

The solution is not high‑tech recycling or plastic bans. It’s garbage trucks, controlled landfills and collection points. It’s not sexy, but it is by far the most effective route.

We have knowledge and tools. Investment is missing where it has the greatest impact.

Source: https://ourworldindata.org/why-cheap-waste-management-is-key-to-stopping-plastic-pollution