DHI Group / Marine debris can come in many forms, but plastics make up a vast majority of this litter. A study in Science magazine estimated that eight million tonnes of plastic waste end up in our oceans every year. And because plastics aren’t biodegradable, they remain in our oceans for a long time.
The estimated time for them to fully break down? A staggering 500 years. And this means that every single piece of plastic ever produced still exists in one form or the other today.
Their existence in the waters brings harm to:
- Marine animals (through ingestion and entanglement)
- Human health (it gets into the food chain)
- The economy (it affects the safety of sea transport, tourism and recreation, for instance)
Learn more on DHI Blog | The reservoir https://blog.dhigroup.com/2017/05/07/...