Plastic Pollution in the Ocean: Where does it come from?

UNEP estimates that 1,000 rivers are responsible for nearly 80% of annual global riverine plastic emissions into the ocean, ranging from 0.8 to 2.7 million tonnes per year, with small urban rivers among the most polluting.

According to UNEP data,

• marine pollution accounts for at least 85% of marine litter and plastic waste is the main pollutant.
• 80% of the plastic that finds its way into the ocean comes from land-based sources.
• at least 11 million tons of plastic are discarded in our seas every year.
• every minute, a garbage truck of plastic is dumped into our ocean.
• it is predicted that, by 2040, the equivalent of 50kg of plastic per meter of coastline worldwide will flow into the ocean each year.