Plastic pollution affects all surface waters worldwide. According to data, at least 80% of marine debris reaches the seas through rivers.
Trash illegally dumped along riverbanks is lifted by periodically rising waters and washed into the riverbed. Some of the waste sinks, but the lighter materials — mostly plastic — remain afloat and begin their long journey on the waves. Along the way, they may get stuck somewhere, only to be lifted again by the next flood wave. Floating plastic does not recognize national borders; on its journey, it meets waste carried by tributaries, forming increasingly large floating masses on the river’s surface. In this way, every piece of trash once discarded along a small stream eventually reaches the oceanic garbage patches, from where it is nearly impossible to collect. Unless we stop it earlier — where it is still relatively easy to remove by hand, without involving heavy machinery, and with minimal environmental impact.
