It is estimated that up to 13 million metric tons of plastic are in the ocean each year.

For example, healthy mangroves provide coastal protection services, whereas wetlands are important for freshwater provision. The most visible impacts of plastic debris are the ingestion, suffocation, and entanglement of species.

Plastic production will increase by 40% in the next 10 years. If we don't do anything about the plastic soup, oceans will carry more plastic than fish (by weight) by 2050. The United Nations warns that marine life will be irreparably destroyed.

"Primary waste" is plastic becoming waste for the first time and doesn't include waste from plastic that has been recycled. If these trends continue, by 2050 we'll have produced 26 billion metric tons of plastic waste, almost half of which will be dumped in landfills and the environment.