The table illustrates the amount of waste, measured in millions of tonnes, produced by six different countries – namely Ireland, Japan, Korea, Poland, Portugal and the US – over a 20-year period from 1980 to 2000.
Overall, the US consistently produced the highest amount of waste throughout the period, followed by Japan. Most countries saw an increase in waste generation, except for Korea, which experienced a notable decline by 2000. Data for Ireland in 1990 and for Korea in 1980 were not provided.
In 1980, the US generated 131 million tonnes of waste, which rose steadily to 151 million in 1990 and reached 192 million tonnes in 2000. Japan also showed a clear upward trend, increasing from 28 million tonnes in 1980 to 32 in 1990, before rising significantly to 53 million in 2000. Poland and Portugal experienced moderate growth as well, with Poland’s figures growing from 4 to 6.6 million tonnes over the period, while Portugal rose from 2 to 5 million tonnes.
Ireland recorded only 0.6 million tonnes in 1980 and then climbed sharply to 5 million tonnes by 2000, although the figure for 1990 is unavailable. Korea, by contrast, produced 31 million tonnes in 1990 but reduced its waste output substantially to 19 million tonnes ten years later, making it the only country to show a decline.