Pearl, Hai He, and Amur, are in Asia and two, the Niger and Nile, are in Africa
(Godfrey 2019).
Three main industrial sectors are responsible for the most plastic waste production which are textiles (13.9% of total plastic waste), packaging (46.7%), and the
consumer-institutional product (12.3%). It is estimated that each year, approximately
0.11 million metric tons of waterborne plastic garbage comes from the United States
which is heavily polluting our environment and oceans (Wang et al. 2018).
3.4.1 How Plastics Enter into Oceans
Plastic from various sources enter into oceans through different paths; however, the
diverse sources that result in ocean pollution remain unknown. It is impossible at the
moment to produce trustworthy quantitative contrasts between plastic input loads,
bases, and originating sectors, and this indicates a significant knowledge gap
(UNEP, 2016). Among the land-based sources, plastics usually enter the oceans
from shorelines, wastewater pipelines, or rivers. Waste management process and
certain weather conditions such as storms and high-speed winds can also take a huge
amount of plastic materials into the oceans and such problems are difficult to be dealt
with. Ocean-based sources at sea may be from normal accidental losses, from
shipping operations such as cargo ships that transport goods, oil tanker, and other
sea liners or vessels or deliberate discarding of plastic wastes during sea- or oceanbased journeys (Bråte et al. 2017).
Food, packaging, tourism, household goods, constructions, and drink containers
are the land-based sources of macroplastics. A large amount of aquatic plastic
contamination that occurs in ocean and sea arises from sources based on land
which is approximately 4.8–13 million metric tons per year. Marine-based causes
of macroplastics consist of shipping sectors and fisheries. Moreover, aquaculture
structures are mainly made up of plastic materials and if structures are not managed
or are spoiled by the environmental conditions, they can result in plastic contamination of water (Haward 2018).
3.4.2 Effects of Plastic Pollution
Plastic pollution has the most adverse effects on the marine biodiversity and habitat
about tens of thousands of aquatic animal species like turtles, whales, seals, and birds
that feed on these creatures are killed each year due to rising plastic pollution. Plastic
bag litter in the marine environment is seen in the dead body of these animals washed
off by the oceans at the coast. The presence of plastic debris in water causes damage
to aquatic environment and natural habitats of organisms living in such ecosystems.
As a result of these factors economic repercussions for tourism and life threats to the
marine animals is at the height of its maximum value (Avio et al. 2017). Many
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(Godfrey 2019).
Three main industrial sectors are responsible for the most plastic waste production which are textiles (13.9% of total plastic waste), packaging (46.7%), and the
consumer-institutional product (12.3%). It is estimated that each year, approximately
0.11 million metric tons of waterborne plastic garbage comes from the United States
which is heavily polluting our environment and oceans (Wang et al. 2018).
3.4.1 How Plastics Enter into Oceans
Plastic from various sources enter into oceans through different paths; however, the
diverse sources that result in ocean pollution remain unknown. It is impossible at the
moment to produce trustworthy quantitative contrasts between plastic input loads,
bases, and originating sectors, and this indicates a significant knowledge gap
(UNEP, 2016). Among the land-based sources, plastics usually enter the oceans
from shorelines, wastewater pipelines, or rivers. Waste management process and
certain weather conditions such as storms and high-speed winds can also take a huge
amount of plastic materials into the oceans and such problems are difficult to be dealt
with. Ocean-based sources at sea may be from normal accidental losses, from
shipping operations such as cargo ships that transport goods, oil tanker, and other
sea liners or vessels or deliberate discarding of plastic wastes during sea- or oceanbased journeys (Bråte et al. 2017).
Food, packaging, tourism, household goods, constructions, and drink containers
are the land-based sources of macroplastics. A large amount of aquatic plastic
contamination that occurs in ocean and sea arises from sources based on land
which is approximately 4.8–13 million metric tons per year. Marine-based causes
of macroplastics consist of shipping sectors and fisheries. Moreover, aquaculture
structures are mainly made up of plastic materials and if structures are not managed
or are spoiled by the environmental conditions, they can result in plastic contamination of water (Haward 2018).
3.4.2 Effects of Plastic Pollution
Plastic pollution has the most adverse effects on the marine biodiversity and habitat
about tens of thousands of aquatic animal species like turtles, whales, seals, and birds
that feed on these creatures are killed each year due to rising plastic pollution. Plastic
bag litter in the marine environment is seen in the dead body of these animals washed
off by the oceans at the coast. The presence of plastic debris in water causes damage
to aquatic environment and natural habitats of organisms living in such ecosystems.
As a result of these factors economic repercussions for tourism and life threats to the
marine animals is at the height of its maximum value (Avio et al. 2017). Many
98
F. Muneer et al.