MARCO finds plastic bottles and their caps among the top 5 types of trash on Mid-Atlantic beaches. View the resources below for more information.
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Resources
Plastic Pollution Facts
“By both the World Bank estimate (34.0 Mt) and our refined U.S. estimate (42.0 Mt), in 2016, the U.S. population produced the largest mass of plastic waste of any country in the world and also had the largest annual per capita plastic waste generation of the top plastic waste–generating countries (>100 kg).”
The United States' contribution of plastic waste to land and ocean." (2020) Science Journal
“The [annual] flow of plastic into the ocean is projected to nearly triple by 2040. Without considerable action, 50 kg of plastic will enter the ocean per meter of shoreline.”
"The researchers found that, on average, a liter of bottled water included about 240,000 tiny pieces of plastic." Which is equal to 120,000 pieces of plastic per the standard 16.9 fl oz water bottle (500 mL).
"American use of disposable water bottles has been increasing. In 2024, American’s purchased 16.4 billion gallons of bottled water. That equates to 121 billion single-use disposable water bottles in one year!"
"Sales volume of bottled water in the United States from 2010 to 2024." (2025) Statista
“By 2050 the ocean could contain more plastic than fish.”
