These facts are from our 'Science Behind The Film Document', that supports A Plastic Ocean.
These facts are from our 'Science Behind The Film Document' that supports A Plastic Ocean.
350 million tonnes of plastic are being produced each year. This could weigh more than humanity, estimated at 316 million tonnes in 2013.1
8 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean every year. If waste management practices don't improve, scientists predict this amount could increase tenfold by 2025.2
Plastics make up to around 75% of marine litter, although this can be up to 100% at some sites.3
Plastic in the ocean breaks up into smaller fragments called microplastics, which have been identified in commercial fish consumed by humans.4
Half of all plastics are single-use applications, used just once and then disposed of.5
We don't know how long it takes for plastic to break down. It's estimated it could take up to thousands of years to degrade.6
Birds are highly susceptible to plastic ingestion. It is estimated that over 90% of all seabirds have ingested plastic.7
The "island of trash" - also known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has been misreported. A large area of plastic debris does exists here, but a big soup of microplastics make up to 94%.8
Plastic acts as a sink for chemicals already in the environment. The material is able to attract these chemicals and transport them long distances.9
Studies show plastic chemicals can act as endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruption is linked to health effects like cancer, birth defects, and developmental problems in children.10
1 Rachel Rettner (2013). The Weight of the World: Researchers Weigh Human Population. https://www.livescience.com/36470-human-population-weight.html
2 JR Jambeck et al. (2015). Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. https://science.sciencemag.org/content/347/6223/768
3 François Galgani (2015). Global Distribution, Composition and Abundance of Marine Litter. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-16510-3_2
4 CM Rochman et al (2015). Anthropogenic debris in seafood: Plastic debris and fibers from textiles in fish and bivalves sold for human consumption. https://www.nature.com/articles/srep14340%C2%A0%E2%80%A6
5 J Hopewell et al (2009). Plastics recycling: challenges and opportunities. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2008.0311
6 DKA Barnes at al (2009). Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/abs/10.1098/rstb.2008.0205
7 C Wilcox et al (2015). Threat of plastic pollution to seabirds is global, pervasive, and increasing. https://www.pnas.org/content/112/38/11899
8 L Lebreton (2018). Evidence that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is rapidly accumulating plastic. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-22939-w
9 CM Rochman (2015). The Complex Mixture, Fate and Toxicity of Chemicals Associated with Plastic Debris in the Marine Environment. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-16510-3_5
10 F Gallo (2018). Marine litter plastics and microplastics and their toxic chemicals components: the need for urgent preventive measures. https://enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s12302-018-0139-z