Microplastics are tiny plastic pieces measuring less than five millimeters in length. Marine animals often mistake microplastics for food, posing a significant threat to their survival. They come from larger pieces of plastic that degrade. Microbeads, small plastic pieces used as exfoliants in beauty products, are another source. Oceans absorb carbon dioxide, but microplastics disrupt their ability to store carbon.
The findings, published in the journal Nature, show that large amounts of microplastics are present at depths ranging from 10 meters to 5,500 meters. Most of the microplastics found in the ocean’s depths are larger. Researchers analyzed data from 1,885 samplings collected over a decade (2014-2024).
The study concluded that the “ocean’s interior is an important, yet underexplored, reservoir of plastic debris.” However, researchers cautioned that there is a need for more studies on microplastics in the ocean’s depths. Our work emphasizes the urgent need for standardized methodologies, high-resolution observations, finer-scale process-based research, and enhanced international coordination.”
“Microplastics are not just floating at the surface – they’re deeply embedded throughout the ocean, from coastal waters to the open sea,” said Tracy Mincer, Ph.D., co-author and an associate professor of biology and biochemistry in Florida Atlantic University’s Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College. “Our findings…set the stage for taking the next steps in understanding the residence time of plastic in the interior of the ocean.”
The Global Problem of Plastic Pollution
Plastic production increased from two million tons in 1950 to 450 million tons in 2022. In the last two decades, it has more than doubled. Plastic waste accounts for 80 percent of all ocean pollution. Approximately 8 to 10 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean annually. By 2050, plastic might outweigh all fish in the ocean, research suggests.
Plastic doesn’t disappear. All the plastic ever created is still in existence, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Plastic takes around 500 to 1,000 years to degrade, but it never entirely breaks down. There are masses of floating plastic in the Pacific Ocean that jointly are the size of Texas.
Bring On The Circular Economy
Researchers, using global data from 2018 to 2022, found that unbranded products comprised 50 percent of plastic pollution. Of the branded waste, the top five brands include The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, and Nestlé. Each of those companies claims it’s reducing plastic waste. Coca-Cola has a 2035 target to increase the use of recycled plastic to 30-35 percent by 2035. The problem is that the packaging made from recycled plastic will likely wind up in landfills or the oceans. Pepsi aims to reduce its use of virgin plastics by two percent each year through 2030. The company also set a target of 40 percent recycled plastic in its packaging by 2035.
Nestlé has set a target to make 95 percent of its plastic packaging recyclable by 2025, to achieve 100 percent recyclable or reusable packaging. However, no date is set for when it will reach 100 percent. Unlike the other two companies, it mentions the circular economy on its website. “We support the creation of a circular economy through our work on better packaging, less packaging, and better systems.”
Plastic and Packaging
There is a huge glaring problem with the three companies. None of them, not even Nestlé, mentions reducing its use of plastic packaging. The onus is on using more recycled plastic and making their products recyclable. The plastic packaging recycling rate in the U.S. is only 13.3 percent. In EU countries, the rate is far higher at 41 percent. However, that still leaves vast amounts of plastic packaging waste in landfills and the oceans. In developing countries, plastic recycling rates are even lower than in the U.S.
One of the steps for creating a circular economy is eliminating “all problematic and unnecessary plastic items,” according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Until companies address the real problem of plastic waste, microplastics will still find its way into oceans.
