An estimated 26,000 tons of mismanaged plastic waste associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has been leaked to the ocean. Of this total, approximately 5,200 tons was discharged by the Shatt al-Arab river in Iraq. The Yangtze river was also a major source of marine pollution, having carried almost 4,000 tons of pandemic-related waste to the ocean. Many of the most polluting rivers are in Asia, which accounts for 81 percent of global plastics waste emitted to the ocean.
Discharges of COVID-19-associated plastic waste to the ocean as of August 2021, by major river
(in 1,000 tons)
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The Guardian. (November 8, 2021). Discharges of COVID-19-associated plastic waste to the ocean as of August 2021, by major river (in 1,000 tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1275603/pandemic-related-plastic-waste-ocean-discharges-by-major-river/
The Guardian. "Discharges of COVID-19-associated plastic waste to the ocean as of August 2021, by major river (in 1,000 tons)." Chart. November 8, 2021. Statista. Accessed November 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1275603/pandemic-related-plastic-waste-ocean-discharges-by-major-river/
The Guardian. (2021). Discharges of COVID-19-associated plastic waste to the ocean as of August 2021, by major river (in 1,000 tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: November 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1275603/pandemic-related-plastic-waste-ocean-discharges-by-major-river/
The Guardian. "Discharges of Covid-19-associated Plastic Waste to The Ocean as of August 2021, by Major River (in 1,000 Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 8 Nov 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1275603/pandemic-related-plastic-waste-ocean-discharges-by-major-river/
The Guardian, Discharges of COVID-19-associated plastic waste to the ocean as of August 2021, by major river (in 1,000 tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1275603/pandemic-related-plastic-waste-ocean-discharges-by-major-river/ (last visited November 22, 2024)
Discharges of COVID-19-associated plastic waste to the ocean as of August 2021, by major river (in 1,000 tons) [Graph], The Guardian, November 8, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1275603/pandemic-related-plastic-waste-ocean-discharges-by-major-river/
