How Are Plastics Entering the Ocean?
Do you know how plastics end up in our oceans? Check out our graphical illustration as we follow the trail of how plastics are dumped into our oceans
A) 80% of the 8 million US tons plastic entering the oceans comes from land-based sources
B) 75% of plastics from land-based sources comes from uncollected waste or litter, entering the oceans via rivers, sewage outlets, and storm drains
C) Rivers deposit 2.75 Million metric tonnes of plastic into the seas every year
D) 20% of ocean plastics come from marine-based sources including oil rigs, fishing vessels, and boats transporting either goods or passengers
E) 640,000 Tonnes of ghost fishing gear is abandoned in our oceans every year
F) Abandoned fishing nets make up 46% of the 79,000 metric tonnes of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, according to a study published in Scientific Reports
For the rest of this article (Asian Diver 2019 Issue 1 No 152) and other stories, check out our past issues here or download digital copy here.