According to Jambeck’s research, this figure is on track to double by 2025 unless something is done, swiftly and at a global scale, to stem the tide of garbage.
Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit that organizes an annual coastal cleanup event in more than 150 countries worldwide, said plastic debris makes up around 85 percent of all the trash collected from beaches, waterways and oceans ― and that’s just the stuff we can see.
There are also untold numbers of extremely small plastic fragments in marine waters.
Marcus Eriksen, a co-founder of the 5 Gyres Institute, an organization dedicated to reducing plastic pollution, describes marine microplastics as a “plastic smog throughout the world’s oceans.” From Land To The Sea So, how does all this plastic waste end up in the oceans?
“And because our per-person waste generation rate is so high in the U.S., even that small amount of litter contributes to this problem.” The United States is one of the world’s top five waste-generating developed countries, according to the World Economic Forum.
According to her research, global plastic resin production has increased by about 620 percent since 1975.
And it’s not just wildlife that’s threatened by the plastics in our seas.
A growing body of evidence suggests humans are consuming plastics through the seafood we eat.
At a global level, several countries have recently committed to reducing the amount of plastic they send into the oceans.
But it’s not just countries that need to do their part.