Plastic Items Dominate Ocean Garbage

According to a new analysis published in the journal Nature Sustainability, plastic items dominate garbage in the ocean. Funded by the BBVA Foundation and Spanish science ministry, it focused on identifiable items bigger than 3cm, excluding fragments and microplastics. Single-use plastic bags accounted for the highest share of garbage items documented across seven aquatic ecosystems at 14.1 percent. Plastic bottles were the second most common item at 11.9 percent while food containers and cutlery followed with 9.4 percent.

The study listed other common waste items in the oceans as wrappers (9.1 percent), synthetic rope (7.9 percent), fishing gear (7.6 percent) and plastic caps or lids (6.1 percent). Shorelines near coasts and seashores tended to have the highest concentration of waste, though discarded fishing gear in particular was concentrated in the open ocean where it accounted for more than half of all documented waste.

The Guardian quoted Carmen Morales-Caselles at the University of Cádiz in Spain who led the research. She stated that "we were not surprised about plastic being 80 percent of the litter, but the high proportion of takeaway items did surprise us, which will not just be McDonald’s litter, but water bottles, beverage bottles like Coca-Cola, and cans". She continued, adding that "this information will make it easier for policymakers to actually take action to try to turn off the tap of marine litter flowing into the ocean, rather than just clean it up."