Rivers Filling Oceans with Plastic Waste.

• Position: POLLUTION - Brief article

The first-ever estimate of plastic emissions from rivers into the world's oceans has been published by The Ocean Cleanup, Delft, Netherlands. Writing in Nature Communications, researchers calculate that rivers transport between 1,150,000 and 2,410,000 metric tons of plastic waste into the oceans annually. Two-thirds of this input comes from the 20 most-polluting rivers, most located on the Asian continent.

The distribution of plastic in the oceans can be mapped only if the main sources of plastic pollution are known. By pinpointing these sources, The Ocean Cleanup can target the best possible locations for the deployment of its cleanup systems. Additionally, knowledge about the sources of plastic pollution can aid prevention efforts.

It commonly is accepted that most plastic found in the oceans originates from land-based sources. It also is well known that rivers play a particularly...