[Economist] The rubbish mountains grow
OVER 2.1 billion tonnes of rubbish were dumped around the world last year. Rich countries are the most wasteful, with each person chucking away 1.4kg of solid trash every day, but this has levelled off in recent years as the rich try to create less of it and to recycle more. As poorer nations grow richer they will produce more waste. In 2004 China surpassed America as the largest producer of rubbish: by 2030 it will be churning out nearly 500m tonnes a year.