These four types of plastic account for nearly half of the ocean’s waste

Every year, 8 to 12 million tons of waste end up in the oceans. To find out which human activities contribute most to marine plastic pollution, researchers from the University of Cadiz in Spain revealed that 80% of ocean waste is plastic, 44% of which comes from just four items.

“We sort of expected plastic to be the predominant material in marine litter, but we were shocked to discover that bags, bottles, food containers and cutlery, as well as packaging, account for nearly half of the world's man-made objects.”

Carmen Morales Researcher at the Marine Litter Lab of the University of Cadiz.

Bags, bottles, packaging and food containers are the bane of our oceans. To counter this problem, states are gradually beginning to implement solutions to limit single-use plastics, as in France, where the objectives for the end of disposable plastic are set for 2040.