More than five trillion pieces of plastic, collectively weighing nearly 269,000 tons, are floating in the world’s oceans and causing damage throughout the food chain, according to new research, as reported by The Guardian.
Data collected by scientists from the United States, France, Chile, Australia and New Zealand suggests a minimum of 5.25 trillion plastic particles in the oceans, most of them “micro plastics” measuring less than 5mm.
The volume of plastic pieces, largely coming from products such as food and drink packaging and clothing, was calculated from data taken from 24 expeditions over a six-year period to 2013.
Large pieces of plastic can strangle animals such as seals, while smaller pieces are ingested by fish and then fed up the food chain, all the way to humans, The Guardian reports. This is a problem due to the chemicals contained within plastics, as well as the pollutants that plastic attract once they are in the marine environment.
The researchers collected small plastic fragments in nets, while larger pieces were observed from boats. The northern and southern sections of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans were surveyed, as well as the Indian ocean, the coast of Australia and the Bay of Bengal.
Most of the plastic, weighing 268,940 tons, includes everything from plastic bags to fishing gear debris.
While spread out around the globe, much of this waste accumulates in five large ocean gyres, which are circular currents that churn up plastics in a set area. Each of the major oceans has plastic-filled gyres, including the well-known ‘great Pacific garbage patch’ that covers an area roughly equivalent to Texas.
The research found that the gyres themselves are likely to contribute to the problem, acting as “shredders” to the plastic before dispersing it. The volume will likely increase due to rising production of throwaway plastic, with only 5 percent of the world’s plastic currently recycled.
The first-of-its-kind research will be used to chart future trends in the amount of debris in the oceans.
Earlier this year, the Plastic Disclosure Project (PDP), the UN Environment Programme and natural capital analysts Trucost released new research that illustrated the need for companies to improve the way they measure, manage and report the amount of plastic they use in their business operations and supply chains. While more and more companies are harvesting ocean plastic and upcycling it into products ranging from scuba gear to carpet to skateboards, and companies such as J&J and Unilever have committed to eliminating plastic microbeads from their beauty products, a sea change is needed to reverse the damage we continue to do to the oceans.