347, no. In 2019, a Greenpeace report found that each year, 640,000 tonnes of “ghost gear” – abandoned, lost or discarded fishing equipment – enters the ocean and is left there. ... much of the plastic trash remains in coastal waters. How Much Plastic Is in the Ocean? Scientists call these statistics the "wow factor" of ocean trash. That said, almost 2/3rds of our plastic ends up in the ocean which equates to about 8 million pieces of plastic a year. The numbers are staggering: There are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean. Ostle said she has been encouraged by the increase in public awareness about plastic pollution. 60% of all plastic pollution in the ocean is estimated to come from land-based pollution. [email protected]. Of those, 236,000 tons are microplastics [2] – tiny pieces of broken-down plastic smaller than your little fingernail. Plastic likes to … That’s about 17.6 billion pounds — or the equivalent of nearly 57,000 blue whales — every single year. The amount of plastic dumped into the ocean has been increasing, according to a new study, and the problem will probably get worse. What we really want is for companies to give us choices of more plastic-free products or products that can be reused or refillable. Plastics – the Facts 2019 An analysis of European plastics production, demand and waste data. 20 Minute Read. The following 10 facts shed light on how plastic is proving dangerous to our planet, health, and wildlife. There is now 5.25 trillion macro and micro pieces of plastic in our ocean & 46,000 pieces in every square mile of ocean, weighing up to 269,000 tonnes. The numbers are staggering: There are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean. The amount of plastic that's been dumped into the ocean has been increasing, according to a. Although the exact amount of plastic in the oceans cannot be accurately quantified, it is estimated that 150 million metric tons of plastic circulate the world's oceans. Eight million metric tons: That’s how much plastic we dump into the oceans each year. ... (1107 HKT) June 25, 2019 . Join the World’s Largest Environmental Movement! "I very much hope that this awareness surrounding plastics will continue and spill over into other environmental issues such as our emissions. 347, no. The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization, developing the first feasible method to rid the world's ocean of plastic. Res. The billions upon billions of items of plastic waste choking our oceans, lakes, and rivers and piling up on land is more than unsightly and harmful to plants and wildlife. Even on far-flung islands that we once thought were out of sight, out of mind. It has been discovered at the deepest point of ocean, in Mariana Trench in … The Ocean Conservancy's 2010 report, Trash Travels, claims 60 percent of marine debris in 2009 was made of "disposable" items, most commonly cigarettes, plastic … 6223, 13 Feb. 2015, pp. She's watched the growth of plastic manufacturing plants in Pennsylvania and Texas with increasing concern. Most of the plastic trash in the oceans, Earth’s last sink, flows from land. That’s about 17.6 billion pounds — or the equivalent of nearly 57,000 blue whales — every single year. It is such an important problem to solve, but the only way to do that is to stop putting it in the ocean," said. To try to understand the conundrum of what happens to plastic waste when it enters the ocean, Lebreton, Egger and Slat (2019) created a global model of ocean plastics from 1950 to 2015. There are opportunities at every point in the plastic life cycle: We can make plastic from renewable resources, manufacture goods that are recyclable and require less plastic, consume less, and make sure as much plastic … While it’s tough to say exactly how much plastic is in the ocean, scientists think about 8 million metric tons of plastic entered the ocean in 2010. The devices, known as … The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization, developing the first feasible method to rid the world's ocean of plastic. Of that mass, 269,000 tons float on the surface, while some four billion plastic microfibers per square kilometer litter the deep sea. "Plastic is a cheap product to make, but it comes at a high price to our environment," Savitz said. Over recent decades, the authors report there has been an exponential increase in concentration of surface plastics in the GPGP. An unexpected error occurred. Tweet This 10 124006, [3] https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/great-pacific-garbage-patch/, [4] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/10/every-minute-one-garbage-truck-of-plastic-is-dumped-into-our-oceans/, [5] https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/how-scientists-plan-to-clean-up-the-plastic-waste-threatening-marine-life-a6820276.html, [6] https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications/the-new-plastics-economy-rethinking-the-future-of-plastics-catalysing-action, [7] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/nov/15/plastics-found-in-stomachs-of-deepest-sea-creatures, [8] Plastic Pollution Primer and Action Toolkit, Earth Day Network, 2018. Plastics – the Facts 2019 An analysis of European plastics production, demand and waste data. Over 300 million tons will be produced this year. ", 8 million tons of trash goes into ocean a year, Guinness will stop using plastic in beer multipacks, Greener by design: 10 new ideas for a sustainable home, Walmart will sell 98¢ reusable bags at checkout carousels to cut down on plastic, A dead whale containing 90 pounds of plastic is a message in a bottle, Hawaii could become the first state to ban most plastics at restaurants. Washington, DC 20036 Ocean acidification is a growing problem They were initially studying, "This happened through chatting with the guys that do the metal work to fix the equipment and the volunteers working to tow the recorders," said study co-author. FACT #2. How does plastic pollution in the ocean affect sea life? +1 (202) 518- 0044 Stopping the flow of plastic means fixing a broken and fragmented system. A truckload of plastic enters the ocean every single minute and UK supermarkets produce 800,000 tonnes every year. Furthermore, an additional 8 million metric tons are added annually. The Ocean Cleanup. More than 360 billion euros The European plastics industry Much of it flows into the oceans, turning them into a plastic soup. Read our recent updates here. The increase in large plastic pollution has been happening since 1957, with a significant increase since the 1990s, according to this study. FACT #3 Every $25 protects 1 kilometer of Canada’s shores. Roughly half of annual plastic production is destined for a single-use product. In 2016, world plastics production totaled around 335 million metric tons. 768–771., doi:10.1126/science.1260352. Much of the plastic currently produced, for example, ends up in the ocean. Every day around 8 million pieces of plastic makes their way into our oceans. Only about 23% of plastic bottles are recycled within the U.S. That’s 50,000 double-decker buses’ worth of plastic every year. Lett. Calculating the amount of plastic in the ocean is difficult. From commercial fishing nets to micro plastics - and a car wheel - the ocean cleanup is underway. More plastic than fish. “Plastic Waste Associated with Disease on Coral Reefs.” Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 26 Jan. 2018, science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6374/460. That’s the weight of nearly 90 aircraft carriers, and the problem continues to grow. [9] Lamb, Joleah B., et al. The researchers didn't set out to do a study about plastic pollution. If plastic pollution continues to increase, this value could almost double to 370 metric tons of additives by 2025. Contribution to European society 1. There are very few historical records of ocean plastic pollution, she said, so the researchers used the incidents to investigate exactly how much plastic pollution there was and how often these entanglements happened. Ostle and her team looked at 60 years worth of ocean data covering over 6.5 million nautical miles in the North Atlantic and adjacent seas. These plastics come in many different forms. Plastics, once in the ocean, are known to absorb a range of hazardous chemicals. The primary data source on the generation of plastics is the American Chemistry Council. Although the exact amount of plastic in the oceans cannot be accurately quantified, it is estimated that 150 million metric tons of plastic circulate the world's oceans. Nicholas Mallos. World wide, 13,000-15,000 pieces of plastic are dumped into the ocean every day. Lett. More than 360 billion euros The European plastics industry had a turnover of more than Over time, toxins accumulate onto floating and drifting fragmented plastic debris, and are eventually ingested by marine life. Lakes, rivers, ocean… it’s all important. [2] Erik van Sebille et al 2015 Environ. There is more plastic than natural prey at the sea surface of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which means that organisms feeding at this area are likely to have plastic as a major component of their diets. And is ocean plastic harmful to humans? Based on estimates of how much plastic is entering the ocean each year, it’s likely that the ocean contains over 180 million metric tonnes of plastic in 2019. Plastic Oceans International is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization, founded and existing under the laws of California (Federal Tax ID #81-3778043). PUBLISHED June 10, 2019. At least two thirds of the world’s fish stocks are suffering from plastic ingestion. They found that plastic entanglement on the equipment used to measure plankton increased by about 10 times from 2000 on. 10 124006, https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/great-pacific-garbage-patch/, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/10/every-minute-one-garbage-truck-of-plastic-is-dumped-into-our-oceans/, https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/how-scientists-plan-to-clean-up-the-plastic-waste-threatening-marine-life-a6820276.html, https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications/the-new-plastics-economy-rethinking-the-future-of-plastics-catalysing-action, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/nov/15/plastics-found-in-stomachs-of-deepest-sea-creatures, Plastic Pollution Primer and Action Toolkit, Earth Day Network, 2018. This might not sound like very much, but these seven items account for only about 1% of the estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic entering the oceans every year! Please try again. No thank you, Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display, Jambeck, J. R., et al. Animals who eat plastic often starve because they can’t digest the plastic and it fills their stomachs, preventing them from eating real food, The likelihood of coral becoming diseased increases from 4% to 89% after coming in contact with marine plastic. "We have known that plastic production has increased, and although there are a number of studies that have shown increased concentrations of plastic up to the 1990s, these studies have not been able to demonstrate the expected increase in plastics in open ocean surface waters,". Suite 700 By 2050, ocean plastic will outweigh all of the ocean’s fish. These huge concentrations of plastic debris cover large swaths of the ocean; the one between California and Hawaii is the size of the state of Texas, Every minute, one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into our oceans, The amount of plastic in the ocean is set to increase tenfold by 2020, By 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than there are fish (by weight), Plastic is found in the ocean as far as 11km deep, meaning synthetic fibers have contaminated even the most remote places on Earth, Many marine organisms can’t distinguish common plastic items from food. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is around 1.6 million square kilometers – … Contribution to European society 1. Millions of tons of plastic enter the oceans every year -- and huge amounts flow there through our rivers. There are five massive patches of plastic in the oceans around the world. FACT #2 : Humans buy about 1,000,000 plastic bottles per minute in total. [1] Jambeck, J. R., et al. The researchers looked at how much plastic was entangled on devices that record the amount of plankton in the ocean. To learn more about the threat and impact of plastic pollution and to get tips to reduce your plastic consumption, download our Plastic Pollution Primer and Toolkit today! To try to understand the conundrum of what happens to plastic waste when it enters the ocean, Lebreton, Egger and Slat (2019) created a global model of ocean plastics from 1950 to 2015. Big questions remain. This report gives an insight ... Plastics do not belong to the oceans. United Nations - Plastic - both a wonderful invention and a scourge on our planet. [10]https://coral.org/coral-reefs-101/coral-reef-ecology/coral-reef-biodiversity/, [11] https://www.theoceancleanup.com/updates/how-ocean-plastics-turn-into-a-dangerous-meal/, [12]http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/how-plastic-from-our-clothing-is-ending-up-in-fish/. The world is waking up to a crisis of ocean plastic—and we're tracking the developments and solutions as they happen. It also damages the skin of coral, allowing infection. Just think about all the plastic items you use daily: the toothbrush you grab first thing in the morning, the container your lunch comes in, or the … Eradicating plastic impact in Canada helps clean up the rest of the world. Every year, 6.4 million tonnes are dumped into the ocean. Every year, 8 million metric tons of plastics enter our ocean on top of the estimated 150 million metric tons that currently circulate our marine environments. "Many people now use reusable bags, recycle where possible and shop consciously by choosing to take food or drink items with less plastic," she said. Many researchers and publications refer to a 2015 study in the journal Science that … ", Savitz agreed that "individual action can help, but we don't want the individual to feel like they are the problem. It is now believed that there are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean. 1752 N. Street NW We are dedicated to ending plastic pollution and fostering sustainable communities worldwide. https://coral.org/coral-reefs-101/coral-reef-ecology/coral-reef-biodiversity/, https://www.theoceancleanup.com/updates/how-ocean-plastics-turn-into-a-dangerous-meal/, http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/how-plastic-from-our-clothing-is-ending-up-in-fish/, About 8 million metric tons of plastic are thrown into the ocean annually, There are five massive patches of plastic in the oceans around the world. Furthermore, an additional 8 million metric tons are added annually. Yes please “Plastic Waste Associated with Disease on Coral Reefs.” Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 26 Jan. 2018, science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6374/460. For instance, sea turtles by-caught in fisheries operating within and around the patch can have up to 74% (by dry weight) of their diets composed of ocean plastics. The numbers add up to trouble for the oceans, wildlife, and us, but scientists are struggling to understand how. Bottles, pots and food trays are immediately obvious, but other types of plastic pollution can be harder to spot. “Plastic Waste Inputs from Land into the Ocean.” Science, vol. "This is long-lasting damage. About 8 million metric tons of plastic are thrown into the ocean annually [1]. Millions of tons of plastic enter the oceans every year -- and huge amounts flow there through our rivers. Over 300 million tons will be produced this year. In 2018, plastics generation was 35.7 million tons in the United States, which was 12.2 percent of MSW generation. Eight million metric tons: That’s how much plastic we dump into the oceans each year. How much plastic is in the ocean in 2019? The reason why it is so difficult to clean the existing plastic from the ocean is because of the … The findings are in line with what is known about the amount of plastic produced in the world. In 2019, Adidas expects to make 11 million pairs of shoes with recycled ocean plastic. Hi, It seems you are visiting us from India, would you like to visit our India pages? How Does it Get In The Ocean? "I can't even stand the thought of it, when I go to the beach and see all the plastic on the waves and in the sand. Res. This report gives an insight into the plastics industry’s ... Plastics do not belong to the oceans. Savitz said she's been encouraged to see people try to reduce their carbon footprint by turning to alternatives like electric cars, but that also means petroleum companies are looking for alternative markets for their products.