China generates more trash than the exceedingly wasteful United States—roughly 300 million tons per year, compared to around 250 million tons in the United States. Still, on a per capita basis the Americans have the Chinese beat four to five times over (Americans are richer). For example, Americans consume 653.62 pounds of paper per capita per year, while Chinese consume 98.34 pounds, and Indians, on average, consume an unimaginably paltry 18.7 pounds. Even accounting for the much larger populations of the two developing countries, and the resulting larger total volume of paper, it’s
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