Plastic Waste

Why did the plastic container break up with its lid? It said, 'I need some space!'

Today's newsletter looks at plastic waste pollution. Initially, we take a look at which items are responsible for polluting the world’s oceans. After that, we visualise which countries and companies produce the most single use plastic waste.

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Items responsible for polluting the world’s oceans

A multitude of waste items contribute to the pollution of the world's oceans, posing significant threats to marine ecosystems. Among the most pervasive are plastic debris, including bottles, bags, and microplastics, which persist for centuries and harm marine life through ingestion and entanglement. In fact, you can see below that plastic items are make up over 50% of all waste items! Additionally, discarded fishing gear such as nets and lines, known as ghost gear, continues to trap and kill marine animals long after it's been discarded.