Media estimates of degradation times for plastic bags tend to fall into one of two ranges: 10–20 years (20) or 500–1000 years, (21) while that for “plastic” bottles is reported as over 70 up to 450 years. (21)

Some media have reported that “plastics” do not degrade at all. (22)

Finally, nearly 700 marine species have been observed to interact directly with plastics marine debris through ingestion, entanglement, and/or smothering. (17)

The sources of this material are highly correlated with the absence of effective waste management infrastructures. It has been estimated that nearly 90% of the plastics entering the ocean comes from just 10 rivers, all located in Asia or Africa. (14)

Globally, only 18% of plastics waste are recycled, and 24% are incinerated. The remaining 58% are either landfilled or enter the natural environment, where plastics accumulate and persist for a long period of time. (1)