I have a hard time understanding how so much plastic ends up in the oceans. Between 4.8 and 12.7 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean each year, according to figures published in the journal Science in 2015. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/quick-questions/how-much-plastic-is-in-the-ocean.html I would have to look and see how they arrive at this conclusion. But given the amount of plastic we know to be in ocean waters and marine life, the problem is clearly enormous. But how? I have to wonder if a primary source of this global crisis is illegal dumping. Did all of that waste shipped to China really end up in China? I would bet not. I would bet that by shipping waste to other countries, shippers make a fortune dumping waste in the ocean rather than delivering it to the intended destination. And this is a primary source of ocean pollution. The shipping companies and the destination have financial incentive to dump the waste in the ocean and then falsify the delivery reports. Recently, I saw a commercial explaining what to do with lids that cannot be recycled, on containers that can be recycled. They said that rather than separating the plastics and tossing the non-recyclables in the garbage, you should now leave them with the recyclables. This way they are captured and disposed of properly. If you throw them in the garbage, they will likely end up in the ocean. WHAT? How does it go from a garbage dump to the ocean?
I would think that storm surge from hurricanes and especially tsunami's that sweep entire low terrain are also large contributors.
https://www.iswa.org/fileadmin/user...AMERICANA/Science-2015-Jambeck-768-71__2_.pdf So the scale of various sources of ocean plastic are still speculative. And ocean dumping was common practice for marine vessels. It is reasonable to conclude that ocean dumping did not stop just because a law was passed.
Falsified shipping records seems unlikely, it would easy to prove, they have manifests, require some forewarning to port authorities, and dealings with customs...
In China... This is the country that brought us poison dog food, toothpaste, and mouthwash, and children's toys coated with psychedelic drugs. They also appear to be the primary source of illegal Fentanyl.
Not sure about tsunamis, but definitely not true in terms of hurricanes. Most landfills in FL are far away from the beaches/bays. If the landfill Pensacola uses is ever a victim of storm surge, the rest of the county has been flooded by 50 feet of water.
