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plastic pollution
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plastic pollution plastic pollution recycling bins Great Pacific Garbage Patch
What are the environmental and health impacts of microbeads?
Video thumbnail image shows a large amount of plastic trash collected from the ocean.
A white woman in blurry focus holds up a small piece of plastic called a nurdle, highlighted with a blue circle.
plastic pollution breakdown into microplastics
The video thumbnail image shows a person's hand holding small fragments of colorful plastic.
Learn how scientists can transform single-use plastic bags into lithium ion battery anodes
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plastic pollution: Facts & Related Content

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News •

Plastic spills at sea spark global push for stricter laws, firm action • Apr. 14, 2025, 6:44 AM ET (The Standard)

Did You Know?

  • Every year 18 billlion pounds of plastic seeps into oceans from coasts.
  • A glass bottle can take roughly one million years to degrade in the environment.
  • Some organisms thrive off discarded plastic, forming a new type of ecosystem called a "plastisphere".
  • Scientists have found plastic bags at the bottom of the Mariana Trench 36,000 feet below sea level.
  • The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is an island of discarded plastic that is now triple the size of France.

Photos and Videos

plastic pollution
plastic pollution
recycling bins
Great Pacific Garbage Patch
plastic pollution breakdown into microplastics
pollution
What are the environmental and health impacts of microbeads?
Video thumbnail image shows a large amount of plastic trash collected from the ocean.
A white woman in blurry focus holds up a small piece of plastic called a nurdle, highlighted with a blue circle.
The video thumbnail image shows a person's hand holding small fragments of colorful plastic.
Learn how scientists can transform single-use plastic bags into lithium ion battery anodes
See All Videos, Images and Podcasts →

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