More than 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in our oceans every year

Did you know that we manufacture just under 300 million tonnes of plastic a year – that is equivalent to the weight of the entire adult population of the planet. And while plastic is an amazingly versatile and useful product, around half of what we produce we use just once, then we throw it away. Much of this eventually ends up in our oceans where it damages the whales, dolphins and turtles that we love so much as well as countless other marine creatures.

However the problem is far worse. The plastic breaks down in the oceans into tiny particles and these attract toxins, toxins that cause all manner of diseases in humans. These toxins are being ingested by marine animals and are being passed up the food chain, concentrating as they do so. Ultimately we are at the top of that food chain.

Ocean Plastic Facts
Plastic pollution floating in a river

A floating Island of Plastic?

The ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ conjures an image  of a floating island of plastic waste.  The media told us it was twice the size of Texas.  However, we couldn’t see it from aircraft or space.  The truth is there is no island, but more of a plastic soup covering vast areas. The truth is far more insidious.

The Fashion Industry’s Impact on the Ocean

Changing ocean habitats – a new dilemma

Studies into Microplastics and Mesoplastics in Cochin, Kerala

MSC Zoe Project

Zanzibar Ocean Protection Foundation

Chichester Harbour plastic

Microplastic Survey Comparative Study

Neal Layton – Planet Full of Plastic

east head microplastics

Microplastics Images

Plastic bottles on the sea floor

Impact of Plastic Pollution on Coral Reefs

Chichester Harbour

Chichester Harbour Microplastic Survey

plastic soup

Plastic and Invasive Species

Plastic waste and nets in the ocean - Sri Lanka

Plastic Pollution Image Galleries

Grassholm island

Gannets Choked by Plastic

Freedivers collecting plastic waste

10 Things You Can Do

Bottle on the beach in Egypt

Say No to Bottled Water

Michael Pitts filming Tanya Streeter for A Plastic Ocean

A Plastic Ocean – The Film