Plastic waste produced and mismanaged

The rapid rise in the use of oil and gas during the last half century has been accompanied by the development of a range…

How microplastics are generated

Due to its size and variety of sources, the characterization of microplastic is even more complex than for large plastic debris. There are two…

Plasticized animal species – Ingestion

Apart from the physical risk from plastic, there is also concern that marine organisms are at risk from the ingestion of hazardous chemicals that…

Mostly plastic

Between 60 and 90 per cent – sometimes as much as 100 per cent – of the litter that accumulates on shorelines, the sea…

Plastic input from municipal solid waste and wastewater

Debris released by human activity on land can be washed by surface runoff or blown by wind into rivers and other watercourses and ultimately…

Size does matter

Marine litter comes in all sizes. Large objects may be tens of metres in length, such as pieces of wrecked vessels, lost.

Global plastic production and future trends

Plastic packaging is considered one of the main sources of waste. In Europe, plastic production comes in three broad categories: about 40 per cent…

Pathways and fluxes of plastics into the oceans

All material that erodes and washes off the land will end up in the marine environment. This includes solid materials that constitute marine litter.…

Marine plastic garbage clean up efforts

The costs of action will vary depending on where in the value chain and on what waste the measures are focused, which sectors and…

Plastic bioaccumulation in the food web

Plastic debris can have similar size characteristics to sediment and suspended particulate matter and can be ingested by filter feeding or sediment ingesting organisms.…

Marine plastics global policy timeline

Due to the varied sources, pathways and persistence of plastic debris in the marine environment, there is a myriad of environmental regulations which have…

Are most of the plastics produced still around?

Marine litter (or debris) is waste created by humans that has been discharged into the coastal or marine environment. It is defined as “any…