Signal 19 to 23 million tonnes of plastic waste enter waters each year

Summary

Each year 19 to 23 million tonnes of plastic waste flow into rivers, lakes and seas. The report finds no place on Earth free of plastic pollution and expects it to persist because plastics last so long. Most plastics break into fragments over time but need hundreds to thousands of years to mineralize into carbon dioxide. Large debris entangles seabirds, turtles and marine mammals, and small pieces can build up in the stomachs of some seabirds and lead to starvation. Micro- and nanoplastics are now inside almost every organism, humans included, and the report treats the limited understanding of their effects as a serious concern in itself. Early evidence also suggests that plastic debris may interfere with the ocean's biological carbon pump.