Plastic waste

Plastic waste describes plastic objects which have not been recycled properly. Between one and eight million tons of plastic waste enters the Earth's oceans every year,^[1] and the World Economic Forum predicts this will double by 2030 if no action is taken.^[2] Thin plastic objects such as plastic bags can be accidentally blown away by the wind.^[3] This can cause drainage problems on land and pollution at sea.^[3] Some countries banned plastic drinking straws in response to a video showing a turtle with a straw stuck up its nose.^[4]^[5] Paper straws are a proposed alternative as they break down after a long time in seawater.^[6]

Plastic Waste Media

The pathway by which plastics enters the world's oceans
Beach cleanup
Plastic bottle stuck on edge of river.
Microplastics in the surface ocean 1950–2000 and projections beyond, in million metric tonnes.
Average estimated decomposition times of typical marine debris items. Plastic items are shown in blue.
Share of plastic waste that is inadequately managed
Per capita mismanaged plastic waste (in kilograms per person per day)
Volunteers clearing gutters in Ilorin, Nigeria during a volunteer sanitation day. Even when there is adequate infrastructure for sanitation, plastic pollution can prevent drainage and impede sewage flow.
The unaltered stomach contents of a dead albatross chick photographed on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the Pacific in September 2009 include plastic marine debris fed to the chick by its parents