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Plastic which does not end up in the ocean is either recycled or added to landfills.

Often, governments in HICs export their plastic waste to businesses in LICs. The businesses pay little for the plastic, aiming to sell on some of the more reusable pieces.

However, laws protecting the environment in LICs tend to be weak. Governments of LICs also tend not to have enough money to properly enforce these laws. This means that the plastic waste is not disposed properly.

Some is placed into landfills which are set on fire, adding toxic chemicals to the air. Local people then breathe these toxins in, harming their health and increasing pressure on local healthcare services.

Some plastic waste is placed into landfills which become saturated with rainwater. The water slowly absorbs parts of the plastic, creating a toxic liquid called 'leachate'.

Leachate can mix with the water under the ground, in rivers and in lakes. In turn, small animals which drink leachate-infected water can die.

https://youtu.be/_6xlNyWPpB8?t=70

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UK plastic for “recycling” dumped and burned in Turkey - BBC News

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Most newer plastics are washed along the coast.

Many birds eat fish which swim in coastal waters. These birds are increasingly mistaking plastic waste for fish, so are eating it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4QNolP7Khc

Fish caught just off the coast are likely to have a small amounts of microplastic in their guts, so people are at risk of eating microplastics. However, avoid eating the often-toxic guts of animals, so few microplastics are consumed by people.

Moreover, there is a lack of evidence suggesting that humans eating microplastics is a health issue. More research needs to be done in this area.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drwg5PYfKss

Waves hitting the coast will erode it. Plastic, especially large pieces, in these waves will erode it by abrasion.

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Some pieces of plastic on the ocean surface will sink. This is because they are too heavy, or barnacles and mussels will grow on them, making them heavier.

As this plastic sinks to the seabed, it can be eaten by animals. Like all animals, sea creatures cannot digest plastic. This causes them to feel full all the time and eventually stop eating, leading to starvation.

In some cases, plastic waste can cut the intestines of marine animals, causing them to bleed to death.

In other cases, plastic will break down into smaller pieces as it sinks. Microplastics less than 5mm long can form. These are often ingested by fish without them realising.

Microplastics in the guts of fish can harm their fertility, reducing population sizes. This is most true for predator species. Microplastics accumulate inside them as they consume multiple other fish species.

All turtle species have been found to ingest plastic. 59% of whale species have eaten plastic too, sometimes in large amounts. For example, one dead whale was found to have 9m of polyester rope inside it. Another had two whole flowerpots in its stomach.

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In the central, northern part of the Pacific Ocean is a collection of floating waste. Rubbish gathers here due to rotating ocean currents, called gyres.

Satellite images do not show the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This is because the plastic waste is not packed together. Most of the plastic is small, such as bottles. 46% of the patch consists of polyester fishing nets.

Animals swimming near the ocean's surface often become entangled with plastic waste in garbage patches. Turtles are known to get caught by plastic nets which have been dumped into the ocean by fishing ships.

344 different species have been entangled with plastic waste. This includes 2/3 of all seal species and 1/3 of all whale species.

Even seabirds get caught in abandoned fishing nets. 1/4 of all seabird species have been involved in entanglement.

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Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies