How does plastic get into the ocean?

We’ve all seen plastic litter on the beach or on the side of the road. But how does it land in the ocean?

According to blogger Louisa Casson of Greenpeace UK, only about nine per cent of plastic waste is recycled. This means that the majority is either taken to landfill sites or burned. “However, when plastic waste is collected and transported to landfill sites, it can be at risk of escaping into the environment,” Casson writes. “Even when it’s in landfills, plastic is at risk of blowing away and ending up in rivers or oceans.”

Plastic litter, meanwhile, can be carried by wind or rain into drainage systems or rivers. “Major rivers around the world carry an estimated 1.15 million to 2.41 million tons of plastic into the sea every year — that’s up to 100,000 rubbish trucks,” Casson says.

Other sources of plastic pollution include microbeads in cosmetics that are washed down drains, or wet wipes that are flushed down toilets, as well as plastic fibres in clothing that escape during the washing process. A number of countries have now banned products containing microbeads.

Plastic waste can also escape during industrial processes, Casson writes. “For example, thousands of the tiny plastic pellets used to make plastic products, known as nurdles or mermaid’s tears, are washed up on UK shorelines every year, polluting nearly three quarters of UK beaches at a count in February [2017].” www.greenpeace.org.uk