Last month, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler traveled to Japan to discuss the ocean plastics pollution crisis and what can be done to resolve the issue. And now, Wheeler, along with others from the Trump administration, are praising the EPA’s waste reduction efforts and putting the blame on Asian countries, which, according to Wheeler, generate 60 percent of the world’s marine litter.
The plastics crisis in Southeast Asia isn’t new, as waste management in that area is either underdeveloped or nonexistent. However, the problem is growing, and countries are putting more and more policies in place in an effort to better manage waste exports.