Plastic Pollution - Oceana USA

Campaigns / Plastic Pollution

Plastic Pollution

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Overview
How Plastic in the Ocean Affects Marine Life
Animals Affected by Plastic in the Ocean
Sources of Ocean Plastic and Microplastics
How to Stop Plastic Pollution in the Ocean
Frequently Asked Questions
More About Plastic Pollution

Overview

Plastics are one of the greatest threats facing our oceans today. They’re choking our oceans, sitting at the deepest point of the seafloor, and raining down in our national parks. They’re in our food, our water, our air, and our bodies. Plastics affect marine life and human health, and contribute to climate change.

Despite what the plastics industry promotes, we can’t recycle our way out of the plastics crisis. Oceana campaigns to tackle plastic pollution at the source, pushing for government policies that reduce the production and use of single-use plastics and support the use of non-toxic refillable and reusable alternatives.

How Plastic in the Ocean Affects Marine Life

Ocean wildlife can swallow or become entangled in plastic material. Animals that ingest plastic may suffer from internal injuries, malnutrition, and chemical exposure. Even when they do not die, swallowing plastic can impair their ability to feed and reproduce, and make them more vulnerable to disease. Animals that become entangled in plastics can drown, choke to death, or suffer physical trauma, infection, and amputation.

Oceana’s survey of dozens of government agencies, organizations, and institutions found evidence of nearly 1,800 marine mammals and sea turtles from 40 different species swallowing or becoming entangled in plastics from 2009 to 2020 in U.S. waters. Of these animals, 88% were from species listed as endangered or threatened with extinction under the Endangered Species Act.

Animals Affected by Plastic in the Ocean

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Sea turtles, manatees, seals, sea lions, and baleen and toothed whales were the most affected by plastic in Oceana’s report on plastics’ impact in U.S. waters.

Sources of Ocean Plastic and Microplastics

Around 33 billion pounds of plastic enter the oceans each year. Some of the most common types of recognizable single-use plastic in the ocean are plastic bags, bottles, food containers, wrappers, and utensils. Over time, sunlight, heat, and friction break up larger plastic items into smaller pieces called microplastics (5 millimeters or less in size — about the width of a pencil eraser) or nano plastics (smaller than 1 micron), which are consumed by even the tiniest marine animals. With 171 trillion microplastics floating in the ocean, the problem is vast.

Watch: What Are Microplastics?

The tiny pollutants are in the air, our food, our drinking water — even our bodies.

Plastic also enters the ocean in the form of pre-production pellets, pea-sized beads that are melted down to create most plastic products. Because of their small size, these plastic pellets are often spilled or lost at factories and along transport routes. Oceana is working to put regulations into place to better manage the discharge of these pesky microplastics.

Take Action to Prevent Plastic Pollution

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Petition

Tell Congress it’s Time to Say ‘Farewell to Foam’

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Petition

Stop Plastic Pellets from Polluting our Oceans

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How to Stop Plastic Pollution in the Ocean

We can stop the flood of plastic pollution into our oceans. National, state, and local governments must pass laws to phase out the production and use of single-use plastic and support the use of reusable and refillable containers and systems. Companies must reduce their use of plastic — especially unnecessary single-use plastic — and offer consumers reusable and refillable products.

Reports and Fact Sheets

Learn more about the devastating effects of plastic pollution, and what you can do to stop it.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How much plastic is in the ocean?

A: It’s impossible to say, but scientists estimate 33 billion pounds, or 15 million metric tons, of plastic end up in the ocean every year — that’s equivalent to two garbage trucks’ worth of plastic entering the ocean every minute!

Q: What plastics are most commonly ingested by marine animals?

A: In our report about plastic impacts in U.S. waters, we found fishing lines, bags, balloons, sheeting, and food wrappers were the most commonly identified plastic ingested by marine mammals and sea turtles.

Q: How long does plastic take to decompose in the ocean?

A: Scientists estimate it could take centuries or longer for plastic to degrade once it enters the ocean. Over time, it breaks up into smaller and smaller pieces called microplastics or nano plastics, which are consumed by even the tiniest marine animals.

Q: Is bioplastic safe for the ocean?

A: “Bioplastics“ is a broad term used to describe bio-based and biodegradable plastics.
Bio-based plastics can be made entirely from renewable biomass — such as sugarcane and corn feedstock — or from a combination of renewable biomass and petroleum sources. Some bio-based plastics behave just like regular plastic and are just as harmful to the ocean.

Q: How does plastic impact climate change?

A: Climate change and the plastics crisis are intrinsically linked. It is impossible to fight one problem without considering the other. Almost all plastic is made from fossil fuels, and plastic emits greenhouse gases at every stage of plastic production, use, and disposal. If plastic were a country, it would be the fourth largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world.

Q: What are governments doing to reduce plastic pollution?

A: In 2022, California passed SB54, the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, the strongest state plastics reduction law in the country. As of April 2026, 15 U.S. states, including Washington and New Jersey, and more than 400 counties and cities around the country have enacted policies aimed at reducing use of single-use plastic and plastic foam.

Q: Why isn’t recycling single-use plastics a solution?

In reality, only 9% of all plastic waste ever produced globally has been recycled and only 6% is recycled in the U.S. Plastic foam, one of the most common types of plastic pollution found in U.S. rivers, lakes, and marine environments, typically is not part of curbside recycling programs.

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