ASSOCIATED PRESS • August 4, 2024
The world creates 57 million tons of plastic pollution every year and spreads it from the deepest oceans to the highest mountaintop to the inside of people’s bodies, according to a new study. It’s enough pollution each year to fill New York City’s Central Park with plastic waste as high as the Empire State Building. India leads the world in generating plastic waste, producing 10.2 million tons a year – far more than double the next big-polluting nations, Nigeria and Indonesia. China, often villainized for pollution, ranks fourth but is making tremendous strides in reducing waste.