Marine Plastic

Plastic waste that reaches the sea through rivers, coasts and ships and breaks down there only very slowly, lost fishing nets included.

According to the OECD, about 1.7 million tonnes of plastic flowed straight into the sea in 2019 alone, and around 30 million tonnes have already built up there. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that 19 to 23 million tonnes of plastic waste enter lakes, rivers and seas every year. Ghost nets, meaning lost fishing nets, are especially harmful. WWF says nearly 2 percent of all fishing gear is lost each year; the nets trap more than 340 marine species and take 400 to 600 years to break down.