The world is pumping out 57 million tons of plastic pollution a year

Blame those make it: the corporations. As a consumer, I get so much plastic that I don't want simply by buying food and other necessities. But the producers, at least here in Japan, often dont give us a choice, wrapping everything in single-use plastics, which are the world's biggest source of plastic pollution.

The corporations - not govts or NGOs - are the ones who must be forced to collect the trash and then make it safe to the environment.

Instead of providing recycling services for their citizens, Global South regimes line their own pockets. Poor countries with a small percentage of very rich, very greedy and very corrupt people at the top. Hence the photos above.

Perhaps we need to reframe environmental problems to focus on what specific countries' issues are.

If rich countries are not major sources of plastics entering the environment, the focus should switch to their greenhouse gas emissions and eco footprint, including emissions and rainforest destruction for foreign-raised meat or the importing of manufactured goods. It is the global South, whose emissions are tiny, who should focus on reducing plastics entering the ocean. If India is as bad as the story claims, it should be ashamed of itself. People in rich countries worrying about drinking straws or plastic shopping bags while driving SUVs is eco-tokenism.

Japan doing more than it's fair share towards that 57 with completely unnecessary over packing where it's simply not required. Why does every fruit and vegetable sold in this country have to plastic wrapped?

Why does every fruit and vegetable sold in this country have to plastic wrapped?

Eh? Almost all the fruit and veg I buy isn’t plastic wrapped. Even from the supermarket, although I usually buy greens from the local family grocers.

I do loathe the ‘fresh veg’ tape that they often stick around my negi and bananas.

Eh? Almost all the fruit and veg I buy isn’t plastic wrapped. Even from the supermarket, although I usually buy greens from the local family grocers.

I'd love to know where in Japan you grocery shop then. Supermarket's, green grocers even michi no ekis selling local produce wrap everything in plastic. Frankly I'm sick of it. I can't check the quality of what's being sold, nor can I buy either what I need or buy to weight.

I'd love to know where in Japan you grocery shop then. Supermarket's, green grocers even michi no ekis selling local produce wrap everything in plastic. Frankly I'm sick of it. I can't check the quality of what's being sold, nor can I buy either what I need or buy to weight.

I've shopped in countless places. I agree that some items are wrapped in plastic, or sold in plastic bags. But certainly not everything.

Onions, spuds, carrots, aubergines etc are sold without wrapping more often than not in my experience. Produce that tends to spoil quite quickly or is easily bruised more often than not is wrapped in plastic (spinach, mushrooms, soft herbs etc).

Maybe it's a big city thing?

nor can I buy either what I need or buy to weight.

Fair point. Doesn't your supermarket sell things like spuds, onions etc individually as well as in bags?

Thank god the US is plastic free. Japan should study how the US does it. I haven't seen a plastic anything, not even in the super markets. So, yes, in the rest of the world, corporations are to blame. Here, if you see any plastic, it was sneaked in by someone from a foreign country. Why they use New York Central Park and the Empire State Building as a mentally visual example was only so people in the US could understand more easily how much plastic is being pumped out by the rest of the world.