Plastic in Rivers and Oceans

How plastic waste reaches oceans mainly through rivers from countries with weak waste collection, the damage to marine life and fisheries, and the economics of clean-up.

Millions of tonnes of plastic enter the oceans each year.

How it gets there

Mostly from land, through rivers, drains and coasts.
Countries with weak waste collection contribute more.
Asian rivers, including in India, are among significant sources, according to studies.

Damage

Marine life: animals eat or get entangled in plastic.
Fisheries and tourism losses.
Beaches and coasts polluted.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

A huge area in the Pacific where floating plastic accumulates.

Economics of clean-up

Prevention (better collection) is far cheaper than cleaning oceans.
River barriers can catch plastic before it reaches the sea.

India’s initiatives

Beach clean-ups.
Improving waste collection under Swachh Bharat.

Lesson

Fixing land-based waste systems is key to cleaner oceans.

The river barrier

A floating barrier across a river catches plastic bottles and bags before they flow into the sea, where they'd be much harder to remove.

Thinking ocean plastic mainly comes from ships

Most comes from land through rivers.

Key takeaways

Millions of tonnes of plastic enter oceans yearly.
Most comes from land via rivers.
It harms marine life, fisheries and tourism.
Prevention is cheaper than clean-up.