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plastic pollution: Quick Facts

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News •

Scientists discover a plastic-eating “Pac-Man” enzyme with a surprising secret • Oct. 16, 2026, 3:00 AM ET (Science Daily)

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

Ubiquitous plastics
Plastic bags and assorted garbage cover a beach, with goats and birds among the trash and a boat visible on the water in the background.
A lake heavily polluted with floating plastic bottles, containers, and other garbage, with plants visible along the water's edge.
Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Illustration showing the process of plastic pollution in the ocean, from floating garbage and subsurface debris to breakdown into microplastics, sinking debris, and microplastic particles reaching the ocean floor and deep-sea trenches. Various types of plastic waste, marine animals, and labeled stages highlight how plastics and toxins disperse and persist in the marine environment.
Five labeled recycling bins in a row for picnic rubbish, plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and glass, set on a concrete pad with greenery in the background.
Infographic illustrating sources and effects of air, land, and water pollution, with labeled arrows showing pollutants from industry, vehicles, and agriculture entering the environment, plus sections on plastic, noise, light, and thermal pollution with causes and issues.
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.
What are the environmental and health impacts of microbeads?
Learn how scientists can transform single-use plastic bags into lithium ion battery anodes
The science and sustainability of bioplastics
See All Videos, Images and Podcasts →

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