Did you know that about 90 percent of all the plastic that reaches the oceans is carried by the 10 most plastic polluted rivers? Let’s see which ones they are.
10. Mekong
The longest river in Southeast Asia, flowing from Tibet to Vietnam transports around 33 000 tonnes of plastic into the ocean each year.
Photo by Simon Berger
9. Niger
Originating in Nigeria, it flows through five countries before reaching the Atlantic Ocean. Niger carries 35 000 tonnes of plastic waste annually. Photo by Michel Isamuna
8. Amur
Amur, forming the natural border between Russia and China, is estimated to dump around 38 000 tonnes of plastic into the ocean each year.
7. Pearl River
This river in southern China collects around 53 000 tonnes of plastic waste annually, and discharges it into the South China Sea.
Photo by zengfanfu
6. Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna
This extensive river system, flowing through India, China, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, contributes an estimated 73 000 tonnes of plastic waste to the ocean annually.
Photo by Snowscat
5. Nile
Starting in Uganda and flowing through 10 other African countries before reaching the Mediterranean Sea, Nile carries around 85 000 tonnes of plastic waste.
Photo by USGS
4. Hai River
This river in China transports around 92 000 tonnes of plastic to the Bohai Sea.
Photo by kele_jb1984
3. Yellow River
The second-longest river in China after Yangtze discharges around 124 000 tonnes of plastic into the ocean.
2. Indus
Traversing through India and Pakistan, the Indus deposits approximately 164 000 tonnes of plastic into the Arabian Sea each year.
Photo by Prabhav Kashyap Godavarthy
1. Yangtze
China’s longest river is responsible for a staggering 1 469 000 tonnes of plastic dumped into the ocean each year, more than the other 9 rivers combined.
Photo by Shane Young
Check out this article about why plastic pollution is bad for you.
