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The trade in plastic waste from industrialized countries to developing countries has been identified as the main cause of marine litter because countries importing the waste plastics often lack the capacity to process all the material. [249] Therefore, the United Nations has imposed a ban on waste plastic trade unless it meets certain criteria.
The United States is the world leader in generating plastic waste, producing an annual 42 million metric tons of plastic waste. [59] [60] Per capita generation of plastic waste in the United States is higher than in any other country, with the average American producing 130.09 kilograms of plastic waste per year. Other high-income countries ...
The plastisphere is a human-made ecosystem consisting of organisms able to live on plastic waste. Plastic marine debris, most notably microplastics, accumulates in aquatic environments and serves as a habitat for various types of microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi.
Though ocean and coastal area cleanups are important, it is crucial to address plastic waste that originates from inland and landlocked states. [97] [98] At the systems level, there are various ways to reduce the amount of debris entering our waterways: Improve waste transportation to and from sites by utilizing closed container storage and ...
While marine pollution can be obvious, as with the marine debris shown above, it is often the pollutants that cannot be seen that cause most harm.. Marine pollution occurs when substances used or spread by humans, such as industrial, agricultural and residential waste, particles, noise, excess carbon dioxide or invasive organisms enter the ocean and cause harmful effects there.
Plastics accounts for 80% of waste dispersed in the marine and coastal environment of the Mediterranean Sea. [24] Recent studies focus on the types of plastics found and primarily on the issue of microplastics, both at a global but also at a regional level, as in the case of the Mediterranean Sea, which was identified as a "target hotspot of the world" due to its amounts of microplastics ...
Emails between Merced County and state officials show the county tried to secure a permit to clean the waterways for five years. Flood victims say state blocked Merced from clearing clogged waterways.
Once larger pieces of plastic waste enter the ocean, or any waterway, the sunlight exposure, temperature, humidity, waves, and wind begin to break the plastic down into pieces smaller than five millimeters long. Plastics can also be broken down by smaller organisms who will eat plastic debris, breaking it down into small pieces, and either ...