Microplastics in the ocean

What are microplastics and how do they end up in the ocean?

The phrase “plastic pollution” conjures up images of mountains of discarded litter – but one of our biggest pollution problems is barely visible.

Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic measuring 5 millimeters or less that can take a variety of forms, including fibers, fragments, microbeads, or pieces of film. Some are so small they can’t be seen with the naked eye. Yet despite their often microscopic size, their impact is huge – as they leach into our environment as microplastic pollution, posing a threat to marine health, and even entering the food chain.

In some cases, microplastic fragments will start out as larger pieces of waste, such as household objects, which are eventually degraded and broken down into tiny pieces. These are "secondary microplastics". Others are what’s known as “primary microplastics” and in fact start out as microplastics: these can include plastic microbeads in cosmetic products or toothpastes, fibers used for fabric manufacturing, and industrial microplastics that have leaked from plants or factories.

Harmful effects of microplastic pollution on marine life and ecosystems

When these primary and secondary microplastics particles end up in our environment as microplastic pollution, swirling around in our oceans, the effects can be catastrophic. Eight million tons of plastic end up in our oceans every single year, the equivalent of one garbage truck per minute.

So why are there microplastics in the ocean, and how do they get there?

It’s easy to assume the source of the ocean plastic problem is items littered at sea, from fishing or shipping perhaps. But, in reality, that only accounts for 20% of microplastic particles. The other 80% starts out on land, and it’s all downhill from there – quite literally. Litter from rubbish bins, storm drains and landfill sites, as well as plastic waste flushed down the toilet (such as wet wipes or sanitary products, which contain plastic), can all end up in our waterways, and from there it can easily flow into the ocean.

Bigger things like plastic bottles, bags, lids and packaging will eventually be battered and broken down by waves, sun and marine life, scattering into trillions of tiny pieces of microplastic pollution that are too small to remove but resilient enough to remain in our oceans for years as microplastic pollution.

Food for thought

That’s just the start of the problem. What happens next is these minuscule plastic particles end up everywhere – from the water we drink to the air we breathe. Birds mistake microplastic particles for food and feed them to their chicks. Marine mammals ingest them. Microplastic fragments are making their way into the food chain and humans are eating tens of thousands of microparticles of plastic every year. To put that microplastic exposure into context, we each consume the equivalent of a credit card worth of plastic each week, according to researchers.

We also now know it’s possible for microplastic particles to get into other parts of our bodies. This year, for the first time, plastic particles were found deep in the lung tissue of living people. The findings were revealed in a study published in environmental science journal Science of the Total Environment, and the most common types of plastic in these tiny particles were PET (polyethylene terephthalate, often used for plastic drink bottles) and polypropylene (used for packaging and pipes). 

“Garbage patches” are large volumes of ocean microplastics pollution that can accumulate in what are known as gyres, as a result of wind, tides and temperatures. There are five major areas in the world’s oceans where these gyres can be found. Contrary to popular belief, these garbage patches (with the most famous known as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch") are not big islands of trash solid enough for you to stand on. If these gyres were solid, there might be a way to try and tackle them by trawling them and scooping up the litter – but, instead, they are more like a microplastics soup of these plastic particles.

Innovative recycling solutions: TOMRA’s role in combating microplastics

There is no “silver bullet” that will fix the ocean plastic problem and microplastic pollution, and while coastal clean-ups play their part in stopping litter reaching the ocean, action needs to start on land before waste reaches that point. At TOMRA Collection, the world's leading provider of reverse vending machines for drink container recycling, we believe that we all need to change our habits and re-frame our thoughts so that we take better care of our environment and turn off the tap to plastics pollution from these tiny particles. Tackling the problem at an earlier stage, to prevent plastic ending up the ocean in the first place, is essential for making a real impact.

Small things can make big difference when it comes to reducing pollution from microplastic particles – not flushing plastics down the toilet, considering the ingredients that are in our toiletries and cleaning products, or using filters to stop microfibers (for example, from synthetic textiles) getting into our waste-water.

Crucially, we must stop treating plastic as trash and remember that, in many cases, it can be a vital resource we can reuse and recycle. For example, more than 1.4 trillion beverage containers are sold every year, 500 billion of which are plastic. Too many needlessly end up as landfill or litter. Plastic bottles and caps were the #2 and #4 types of litter collected in the International Coastal Cleanup in 2023, which examined 15.5 million pieces of litter from 97 countries. However, most plastic bottles are made of the valuable and highly recyclable materials PET and HDPE, so it is vital to stop treating a plastic container like a disposable item.

From trash to treasure

A range of different solutions need to be deployed if we want to turn the tide on plastics pollution and reduce microplastic particles in the ocean. Deposit return systems (DRSs) are one of the solutions that focus on the source of the plastic problem on land, and this tried-and-tested approach is proven to reduce landfill while allowing bottles and cans to be collected for recycling.

DRSs work by adding a refundable deposit to the price of drink containers at the point of purchase. Giving the empty beverage containers a monetary value incentivizes consumers to return a drink can, glass or plastic container for recycling.

More than 50 markets across the globe have deposit return systems, with well-designed systems collecting in excess of 90% of deposit containers sold. Governments in a number of new markets are moving to implement their own schemes.

In a DRS, containers are kept separate from other waste, avoiding contamination and ensuring materials maintain their purity and high quality. This means bottles and cans can be recycled into new ones, over and over again – in what’s known as a "closed loop".

TOMRA calls this process Clean Loop Recycling, and the aim is to keep beverage containers in that loop for as long as possible.

One part of a big picture toward combatting microplastics in the ocean

Only 2% of the world’s plastic packaging is recycled in a closed loop, so there is still much to be done when it comes to increasing recycling rates.

There are many solutions to preventing plastic particles (primary and secondary microplastics) from ending up in the oceans as microplastic pollution, and deposit return systems have a proven impact when it comes to tackling the problem of beverage container litter. Drink container litter, as a proportion of all litter, is 66% less in regions with a DRS compared to those without. Regions with a meaningful deposit value experience less beverage container litter as a proportion of all litter compared to deposit systems with a low deposit value or no deposit system.

Diverting larger pieces of plastic waste like drink containers from the litter stream means they won’t get the opportunity to degrade or end up reduced to microplastic particles. We all have a part to play – what might feel like a “micro” action from one person can contribute to a big impact.

TOMRA Collection is the world’s leading provider of reverse vending machines for Clean Loop Recycling, to transform society’s habits and keep valuable resources in a continuous loop of use and reuse. Reverse vending machines automate consumer returns of beverage containers for recycling, including in deposit return systems. The company’s solutions collect aluminum, plastic and glass beverage containers to be continually reused and recycled back into new bottles and cans.