What Country Has The Most Litter

What Country Has The Most Litter In 2024?

Litter is a global environmental issue and one of the most pressing environmental problems that the world is currently facing. Every country produces a significant amount of waste, but some countries produce more than others. Whilst many dispose of waste correctly and recycle where possible, a monumental amount still ends up being littered.

A huge 75% of people admit that they have littered in the past 5 years, with 9 billion tons of litter ending up in the ocean every year. Cigarette butts the most littered item in the world, with roughly 4.5 trillion being thrown on the ground each year.

Places Known For A Large Amount Of Litter

Littering takes place in most places across the globe, however, a few areas have been known to see a larger amount than other locations. A few locations with the most litter include North America such as Mexico, South East Asia and India. The country with the most spotless streets includes Japan, where a series of waste management laws in the 1990s targeted the problem.

LITTER ON BEACH

The Countries Producing The Most Waste In The World

The United States is the largest producer of municipal waste in the world, generating over 200 million metric tons, as of the latest data available. This is followed by Germany and Japan. In contrast, municipal waste generation in the UK stood at around 29 million tons in 2022. 

What Types Of Waste Are The Most Produced

The waste stream in the United States is dominated by plastic, with single-use plastic items such as plastic bags, bottles, and packaging accounting for the majority of waste generation. The United States, in fact, produces the most plastic waste per capita worldwide.

In terms of global waste, China produces the most plastic, producing 80.1 million tons of plastic in 2021 alone. This is shortly followed by the United States.

How They Are Reducing Waste

As for reducing plastic pollution, the world’s largest producers are taking steps to address the issue. China has implemented a ban on single-use plastic bags, while the United States has proposed a number of initiatives to reduce plastic waste, including a ban on certain single-use plastic items. Additionally, the European Union has implemented a number of initiatives to reduce plastic waste, including a ban on certain single-use plastic products.

The Global Waste Problem

The amount of waste produced in the world continues to rise, and the issue of waste management is becoming increasingly important. While some countries have implemented schemes to reduce materials such as plastic waste, the challenge remains to reduce waste production overall. Additionally, while some countries have made significant progress in waste management, many countries still struggle to properly manage their waste streams. This has a huge impact on the world in terms of litter, pollution, and the rate of global warming.

Reduce Waste Sent To Incineration & Landfill Sites

As a business, recycling your waste where possible is essential to limiting your environmental impact. With our help, we can reduce pollution whilst cutting your carbon footprint. 

Our team collects and recycles a range of waste types, allowing companies to increase recycling rates for their workplace. Materials such as plastic, cardboard, paper and hazardous items can all be recycled by our waste management business. Get in touch today if you produce a bulk load of waste that you would like collected, whether that be on an ad-hoc or regular basis.

Find Similar Blogs

Whilst we explored the worst countries for litter, we also shared the 5 countries that have the lowest recycling rates.

If you are looking for the best countries for recycling we have also explored these admirable locations.

Disclaimer: While we strive to ensure this content is accurate and up to date, we cannot guarantee its precision or complete accuracy. The data and opinions expressed here are based on our research and understanding at the time of writing, but they may not reflect the most current or comprehensive information available. Plastic Expert is not liable for any errors, inaccuracies, or decisions made based on this article. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research for verification.

Sources:

Statista

World Economic Forum

The Weather Network

GreenMatch

Info in Graph

Thomson Reuters Practical Law

Frontiers