Ethan Clarke
Plastic pollution is a pressing global issue. The world produces about 300 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, with half of all plastic produced designed for single-use purposes. While some plastic ends up in landfills or incineration facilities, a significant amount escapes into the natural environment, including the oceans. Improper waste disposal, littering, and plastic waste washed away by rainwater and wind contribute to plastic pollution in waterways and the sea. Once in the ocean, plastic decomposes slowly, forming microplastics that can be ingested by marine life and enter the food chain. Addressing plastic pollution requires collective efforts, including public awareness, recycling incentives, and banning certain single-use plastic products.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Percentage of plastic waste that ends up in landfills | 50% |
| Impact of landfills on the ecosystem | Leachate, a highly toxic liquid formed during the decomposition of plastic, can leak into the environment during rainfall and contaminate soil and groundwater |
| Percentage of plastic waste incinerated | 12% |
| Impact of incineration on the environment | Produces carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that contribute to the climate crisis |
| Percentage of plastic waste that has been recycled | 9% |
| Percentage of plastic waste that ends up in the ocean | 0.5% |
| How plastic ends up in the ocean | Plastic litter gets washed or blown away into waterways during heavy winds, rains, and storms and travels to rivers and eventually to the ocean |
| How long plastic can persist in the ocean | More than 15 years |
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What You'll Learn
In oceans, buried on coastlines, or floating in gyres
Plastic waste has become a global crisis, with billions of pounds of plastic ending up in the oceans every year. This plastic waste is often found in estuaries and along coastlines, where it gets trapped before entering the sea. Currents within estuaries push floating debris towards the land when the tide is coming in and towards the sides when the tide is going out, leading to the accumulation of plastic along the shoreline. This has been observed in estuaries around the world, including in France, Germany, Vietnam, and New Zealand.
The plastic waste that ends up in the oceans has devastating effects on marine life. Thousands of seabirds, sea turtles, seals, and other marine mammals are killed each year due to ingesting plastic or getting entangled in it. Studies have found plastic in the guts of fish, with one study reporting that a quarter of fish sold in California markets contained plastic, mostly in the form of microfibers. Another study found that 60% of all seabird species have eaten plastic, with a prediction that this number will increase to 99% by 2050.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific trash vortex or the North Pacific Garbage Patch, is a gyre of plastic debris in the north-central Pacific Ocean. It is believed to have increased tenfold each decade since 1945 and is rapidly accumulating more plastic. The gyre contains approximately six pounds of plastic for every pound of plankton, with plastic outnumbering fish in the sea by 2050 if current trends continue. The patch covers approximately 1.6 million square kilometers and consists of 45,000 to 129,000 metric tons of plastic.
While some efforts are being made to address plastic pollution, such as international treaties and local community clean-up initiatives, the problem continues to grow. The fossil fuel industry's plans to increase plastic production and the durability of plastic, with every bit of plastic ever made still existing, contribute to the escalating crisis.
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In landfills, contaminating soil and groundwater
Plastic waste is a significant contributor to environmental degradation, and landfills are a common destination for this non-biodegradable waste. Landfills are designed to contain waste, but plastic can easily escape, especially in areas with poor waste management. During rainfall, toxic substances from decomposing plastic can leach into the soil and groundwater, contaminating them. This leachate contains various pollutants, including microplastics, which can have harmful effects on the ecosystem and human health.
The degradation of plastic in landfills can take up to 1,000 years, and during this process, it releases potentially toxic substances. These toxins include additives such as phthalates and Bisphenol A (BPA), which are known for their hormonal effects on organisms. The larger the number of affected species and ecological functions, the more likely toxic effects will occur.
Microplastics, formed from the breakdown of larger plastics, are a significant concern in landfills. They contaminate soil and groundwater, with potential long-term negative effects on the ecosystem. Sewage sludge, often used as fertilizer, contains high levels of microplastics, leading to thousands of tons of microplastics in our soils annually. These microplastics can even be found in tap water, posing risks to human health through ingestion, dermal contact, and inhalation.
The sources of microplastics in landfills include the degradation of plastics, cosmetic products, textile fibers, and fishing nets. Landfills contribute to the spread of microplastics through surface runoff, effluent, open dumping, and open burning. Open dumps, in particular, lack fencing and liners to prevent the escape of macro- and microplastics into the environment.
To address the issue of plastic waste in landfills, it is essential to reduce plastic consumption, improve waste management practices, and promote recycling or incineration in waste-to-energy facilities. Public awareness campaigns, incentives for recycling, and bans on certain plastic products are some measures that governments can implement to mitigate the environmental impact of plastic waste in landfills.
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Incinerated, releasing carbon dioxide and toxins
Incineration is a common method of plastic waste management, with about 12% of all plastic waste ever produced being incinerated. However, this method of disposal has negative consequences for the environment.
Burning plastic waste releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, contributing to the climate crisis. In fact, waste incineration is the primary source of greenhouse gas emissions from plastic waste management, even when the electricity generated during the process is considered. Burning a metric ton of plastic in an incinerator results in almost a ton of CO2 emissions. Globally, burning plastic packaging adds 16 million metric tons of greenhouse gases into the air, and if the petrochemical industry expands by 2050, these emissions are expected to increase to 309 million metric tons.
The impact of plastic incineration on climate is significant. In the United States, emissions from plastic incineration in 2015 were 5.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, and if plastics production and incineration continue to increase, greenhouse gas emissions are projected to reach 49 million metric tons by 2030 and 91 million metric tons by 2050. The cumulative greenhouse gas emissions from plastic production and incineration by 2050 could be over 56 gigatons of CO2, or between 10-13% of the total remaining carbon budget.
While high-income countries have modern incineration facilities equipped with filtration systems to capture air pollutants, open incineration is still common in developing nations, which are the source of most of the world's plastic waste. The incineration of plastic waste in these countries contributes to environmental injustice, as the communities near incineration facilities, which are disproportionately communities of color and low-income populations, are subjected to the pollution from plastic waste they are not necessarily responsible for generating.
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In rivers, carried by rainwater and wind
Plastic waste can be carried by rainwater and wind into rivers, where it accumulates and pollutes the water. This plastic waste can come from littering, illegal dumping, or even just from plastic being blown away from landfills and ending up in waterways. Vegetation along riverbanks, estuaries, and the river surface can trap and carry plastic downstream, acting as both a carrier and a reservoir of macroplastics. Floating aquatic vegetation, such as drifting patches of water hyacinths, can carry significant amounts of plastic. The retention time of plastics trapped in this vegetation depends on factors such as flow dynamics and the characteristics of the vegetation, including height, plant density, and geometry.
Hydrometeorological variables, such as wind speed and direction, runoff, and river discharge, influence the mobilization, transport, and deposition of plastics within different river compartments like riverbanks, floodplains, lakes, and estuaries. During storms and floods, the emptying of these plastic reservoirs occurs, with wind-induced surface currents transporting and depositing large amounts of plastic on lake shorelines.
The plastic that ends up in rivers can have detrimental effects on the environment and human livelihood. Most of the plastic that leaks into the environment never makes it into the ocean, instead accumulating in river systems for years, decades, or even centuries. This plastic pollution can contaminate soil and groundwater, impacting the health of ecosystems and humans alike.
Furthermore, the plastic that does not get emitted from rivers into the ocean can still have negative consequences. Under extreme hydrological conditions, such as floods, plastic transport and accumulation in rivers are amplified. Fluvial floods drive the transport and accumulation of macroplastics in river systems, posing a significant threat to the environment and the organisms that inhabit these ecosystems.
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In wildlife, entering the marine food chain
Plastic pollution has a direct and deadly effect on wildlife. Marine mammals, such as whales, ingest and get tangled up in plastic. A sperm whale washed up dead in Italy with 48 pounds of plastic in its body, as well as the remains of a fetus. Dead whales have also been found with bellies full of plastic, including one grey whale that died after stranding near Seattle in 2010 with more than 20 plastic bags in its stomach. Large marine mammals are highly vulnerable to plastic entanglement, particularly from ghost fishing gear. Packing bands are the most common entangling material, leading to injury and mortality in the endangered Steller sea lion.
Plastic debris has also been found in the habitat of critically endangered Hawaiian monk seals, including in areas that serve as pup nurseries. Endangered Pacific loggerhead sea turtles are also among nearly 700 species that eat and get caught in plastic litter. Sea turtles can mistake floating plastic garbage for food, choking, sustaining internal injuries, or starving by thinking they are full from eating plastic. Research indicates that half of sea turtles worldwide have ingested plastic, and a recent study found that sea turtles that ingest just 14 pieces of plastic have an increased risk of death.
Plastic pollution is pervasive on many beaches, affecting sea turtle reproduction. Hundreds of thousands of seabirds ingest plastic every year, causing suffocation, starvation, and toxic contamination. Plastic ingestion reduces the storage volume of the stomach, causing starvation, and scientists estimate that 60% of all seabird species have eaten pieces of plastic, a figure predicted to rise to 99% by 2050.
Fish in the North Pacific ingest 12,000 to 24,000 tons of plastic each year, which can cause intestinal injury and death, and transfers plastic up the food chain to bigger fish, marine mammals, and human seafood eaters. A recent study found that a quarter of fish at markets in California contained plastic in their guts, mostly in the form of plastic microfibers. When molluscs such as mussels and oysters filter seawater to feed, they also take in human-created pollutants, including microplastics. In a recent study of mussels sourced from UK waters, 100% of samples were found to contain microplastic pieces.
Apex predators such as great white sharks and orcas are threatened by the cumulative impact of microplastics in the food chain and the bioaccumulation of toxic chemicals found in plastics. Orcas have been found with some of the highest deposits of chemicals in their fatty tissues and in their breast milk, which is fed to their young. Academics are working to understand the link between microplastic pollution and the biomagnification of toxic chemicals.
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Frequently asked questions
Most plastic waste ends up in landfills, incineration facilities, or the ocean. Landfills are designed to contain waste, but plastic can easily escape the dumping site, especially in cities with poor waste management practices. Incineration of plastic waste produces carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. About 0.5% of the world's plastic waste ends up in the ocean.
Plastic waste can get into the ocean in several ways. Litter dropped on the street can be carried by rainwater and wind into streams, rivers, and drains that lead to the ocean. Plastic waste can also be washed or blown away into waterways during heavy winds, rains, and storms.
Once in the ocean, plastic decomposes very slowly, breaking into tiny pieces known as microplastics. These microplastics can enter the marine food chain and become incredibly damaging to sea life. Some plastic waste may also wash up on shorelines and beaches or become buried near coastlines under sand and rocks.
