Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution continues to have a global impact on our ecosystems, health, and economies. Marine litter notoriously affects the ecosystems of our world’s waterways and oceans. Negative effects include the physical impact on marine life, the chemical impact on marine life and humans, transport of invasive species and toxic pollutants, and negative economic impacts on industries such as fisheries, government, and tourism. Learn more on our Ocean Plastic Pollution page. All content below should be credited to The Ocean Cleanup.

Trail of plastic floating in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Motagua River, Guatemala, plastic pollution
Plastic pollution washed up on a beach in Dominican Republic
Plastic pollution on beach next to the river mouth of Motagua river

A young monk seal on Laysan Island holds a plastic fragment in his mouth. **Photo credits: Matthew Chauvin**
A bird surrounded by ocean plastic on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. **Photo credits: Matthew Chauvin**
Plastic floating in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Plastic debris washed up from a river in Indonesia.
Plastic bottles floating in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Crate dating back to the 1977 from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, caught durign the Mega Expedition (2015).
Hard hat (1989) from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, caught during the Mega Expedition (2015)
Nintendo Gameboy piece (1995) from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, caught during the Mega Expedition (2015)
River plastic in Guatemala
River plastic in Rio Las Vacas, Guatemala
River pollution in Malaysia
The crew retrieves a large ghostnet from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, November 2018.
Ghostnet hauled aboard during Mega Expedition 2015
Plastic pollution in the Las Vacas River, Guatemala
Mass accumulation of plastic pollution in the Las Vacas River, Guatemala
Plastic pollution pervading the Ozama River, Dominican Republic
Plastic pollution in Ozama river, Dominican Republic
Chao Phraya River, Bangkok, Thailand
Plastic pollution in Rio Las Vacas, Guatemala
Plastic pollution on a beach in Honduras

1.6 million square kilometers, three times the size of France - Illustration (gif)
1.8 trillion pieces of plastic - Illustration (gif)
How plastic pollution travels up the food chain
The 5 ocean gyres, where currents converge forming a vortex for plastic to circulate in.

The Ocean Cleanup's 1000 rivers map, available at theoceancleanup.com/1000rivers/
From land-based mismanaged plastic waste to riverine plastic emissions
The ratio between plastic production and plastic leaking into the ocean
Accumulative distribution of riverine plastic emission into the ocean.
The 1000 rivers model framework
The top 1000 rivers emit 20 million garbage bins of 240L per year. That's on average 20,000 bins per river.
Accumulative distribution of riverine plastic emissions into the ocean.
Plastic emissions per continent
Riverine plastic emissions into the oceans per river class
Plastic emissions per country
Plastic emissions - India
Plastic emissions - Guatemala
Plastic emissions - Venezuela
Plastic emissions - Malaysia
Plastic emissions - Indonesia
Plastic emissions - Philippines
Plastic emissions - China

Ocean Plastic Pollution Explained
7m05 266,8 MB
1000 rivers explained
2m26 214,35 MB
River plastic pollution
1m16 153,78 MB

Images (26)

Illustrations (22)

Video footage (3)