🚮 This waste comes in all shapes and sizes: cigarette butts, plastic bags, cotton buds, plastic packaging, plastic granules, fishing nets and equipment…
Plastic bags account for 40-50% of plastic waste in the oceans, making it one of the most polluting wastes.
🪸🐠 This waste has a significant impact on marine biodiversity and marine activities.
➡️ As marine litter breaks down into small pieces, it is dispersed on the surface of the oceans. The number of plastic particles floating in the sea is estimated to be around 5,000 billion.
🐢 94% of seabirds in the North Sea have plastic in their stomachs, and 86% of sea turtles ingest plastic by mistaking it for zooplankton.
🎣 Abandoned or lost fishing nets continue to trap fish, turtles, birds and marine mammals such as the endangered monk seal for years. They destroy marine habitats. This phenomenon is called "ghost fishing".
⚠️ In 2014, the annual cost of marine pollution related to plastic waste in the oceans was estimated at $13 billion.
💪 The fight against marine litter requires first and foremost a significant reduction in global plastic production, as well as a better upstream management of land-based waste. Actions at national and international levels are necessary, as all oceans are concerned.
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