Ocean plastic has already affected 267 species, and 86% of sea turtles. Marine LifeĪnimals are impacted by the plastic we use and dispose of. Plastics floating and polluting the ocean only scratches the surface of issues it causes - it impacts all of marine life, people, and Earth's climate. In 2016, Coca-Cola produced over 110 billion single-use plastic bottles. The soft drink industry in particular creates tons of plastic waste. Large corporations address their mass production of single-use plastics by shifting the responsibility of sustainable disposal onto the consumer.Īccording to, some of the brands that contribute to a large amount of plastic waste include Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé, Unilever, and Colgate-Palmolive. Corporations need to address their production processes, waste management, and how their operation can have an impact on the environment. However, most plastic pollution comes from large corporations. Reducing our individual plastic footprint is important. Out of the 244,000 tons found in the ocean, around 79,000 tons can be found in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a mass of floating debris that's twice the size of Texas. A 2014 study found that there are around 244,000 metric tons of plastic floating in our oceans. These types of plastics and others combine into a category scientists call "microplastics." According to the National Ocean Service, microplastics are "the multi-colored pieces of plastic that can be found in a handful of sand on the beach or in the ocean."Īround 12% of plastic is incinerated - leaving 80% to end up in landfills. Many plastics are made only to be used one time, where they are then thrown out they're known as single-use plastic.ĭuring the 2017 International Coastal Cleanup, the top kinds of plastics that were collected included wrappers, bottles, grocery bags, take-out containers - and the infamous plastic straws. Plastic is not biodegradable, and it doesn't decompose. Additionally, cosmetic or cleaning products that contain parabens or microplastic beads can be washed into the ocean. According to the World Wildlife Fund, plastic ends up in the ocean when it's thrown away instead of recycled, when it's littered on land, and when products we use are flushed down the drain or toilet. If nothing is done to address plastic consumption, and the aftermath, there could be over 250 million metric tons of plastic in our oceans in ten years.Įven if you don't live on a coast, the plastic you throw away can still end up in the ocean. If this doesn't frighten you enough, the amount of plastic that will be produced and consumed is supposed to double over the course of the next ten years. To create a mental picture of just how much plastic ends up in our oceans, imagine a garbage truck the size of New York City depositing its garbage into the ocean every minute of every day for a whole year. Of the plastic we use globally, only around 9% of it gets properly recycled. According to the Smithsonian, as of 2016, we produce around 335 million metric tons of plastic each year. Sebnem Coskun / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images How Much Plastic Is in the Ocean?Įach year, despite conservation efforts, 8 million tons of plastic reaches our oceans to meet the 150 million metric tons of plastic that already exists in marine environments. Plastic waste is a huge threat to our Earth, and diverting ocean bound plastic is one way we can do better to help the environment.įishes swim near a plastic fork and a bottle at the Samandag Cevlik Akcay diving site off the coasts of Samandag, near the Turkey - Syria border, in Hatay province of Turkey on December 6, 2018. this was outlawed in 1988 in the Ocean Dumping Ban Act of 1988. However, decades ago, countries dumped their waste directly into the sea. Additionally, trash and plastic can come from ships or offshore platforms. Some of the debris sank while some ended up on the U.S.
Other plastic can reach the sea through sewage systems or storms.įor example, in 2011, after the 2011 Tōhoku tsunami and earthquake hit Japan, around 5 million tons of debris ended up in the ocean. Plastics that end up near bodies of water such as rivers are at risk of ending up in the ocean. Around 80% of plastic in the ocean can be sourced back to ocean bound plastic. In 2015, she and a team of researchers estimated the amount of plastic waste entering the ocean from land.Īddressing ocean bound plastic is a key element to ocean conservation. The term "ocean bound plastic" was popularized by Jenna Jambeck, Ph.D., a professor from the University of Georgia. Ocean bound plastic is plastic waste that is headed toward our oceans.
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