Ocean ImpactFakten

Marine plastic in numbers: what really ends up in the ocean

Published · 8 min read · Paul Kasten

Marine plastic is the most-discussed environmental problem of the past decade – and the least understood. Here are the key numbers, in context.

How much plastic enters the sea each year?

Credible estimates range from 8 to 12 million tonnes annually. That's one truckload per minute. The number has remained relatively stable for ten years – meaning current measures aren't scaling yet.

Where does the plastic come from?

About 80% comes from land: rivers, landfills, wind, inadequate water treatment. 20% from maritime sources (fishing, shipping). Meaning: ocean plastic is mostly a land-management problem.

Macro- vs. microplastic

What starts as a bag or bottle breaks into microplastic (<5mm) via UV and waves. Microplastic is nearly impossible to remove – which is why fast macro collection matters.

What can individual X do?

Individual consumption change alone isn't enough. Effective levers: a) pressure on companies & policy; b) funding collection organizations. Point b) is immediately actionable – and this is exactly Quikr's model: your focus time funds ongoing collection.

Try Quikr now

Quikr is free on the App Store. Every focus minute cleans the ocean.