Environment

Asia's longest river floods sea with plastic waste

The longest river in Asia has become one of the world's most polluted, with tonnes of plastic waste threatening marine life in the East China Sea and beyond.

The Yangtze River is the third longest river in the world, with a length of more than 6,300km. According to research published in a recent environmental journal, the Yangtze and its tributaries carry 1.5 million tonnes of plastic into the sea each year - the most of any river in the world.

In an effort to save marine life, environmental groups and campaigners in the country are organising volunteer clean-up operations, clearing out plastic along the mouth of the polluted river.

China is one of the biggest plastic consumers in the world. In 2016, package delivery services used an estimated 14 billion plastic bags. And with the rapid increase of food delivery options, it is estimated that 60m plastic containers are used each day - many of which cannot be recycled.