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In This Issue: (links to articles below)
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Did you know?
75% of ocean plastic is actually on a beach ... only a small percentage is in the deep ocean.
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Taking a Deeper Dive
Plastic pollution as a virus
Why OpenOceans’ plastic beach trash map is different
The images above are examples of some of the worst plastic pollution outbreaks and are featured on OpenOceans’ Plastic Trash Map.
- Top row: Badhwar Park Beach, Mumbai / Hann Bay, Dakar / Kingston Harbor, Jamaica.
- Middle row: Milnerton Beach, Capetown / Navotas, Philippines / Tilloo Cay, Bahamas.
- Bottom row: Cocos (Keeling Island), Australia / Kamilo Beach, Hawaii / Kuta Beach, Bali
Many organizations are mapping plastic pollution on beaches. The Ocean Conservancy’s Clean Swell App, NOAA’s Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project, National Geographic’s Marine Debris Tracker, Litterati, and the Ocean Cleanup Survey App are some well-known examples. Each of these excellent and respected tools documents volume, type, and/or brand to provide data about how to eliminate particular categories of plastic that reach the beaches.
Looking for outbreaks of plastic on beaches
OpenOceans Global’s Plastic Trash Map is different. It seeks to document, with images, the worst outbreaks of plastic on the world's beaches and coastlines. The goal is to then find the pathways by which plastic reaches those beaches and help local leaders with solutions to plug the points of contamination on those pathways.
Collecting images with geolocation data and confirming dates is challenging. We find many images like those above, but most have little or no additional information, particularly geolocation data. Social media images, in particular, lack documentation. Some studies and reports reference beaches but have no pictures.
Our goal is to geolocate and visualize the outbreaks of plastic on the beaches and other shorelines of the world to understand where solutions are most needed.
Because 75% of ocean plastic is on a beach or shoreline, finding those beaches is a good proxy for understanding the problem.
Plastic Pollution as a virus
OpenOceans thinks of plastic pollution as a virus, and outbreaks of the plastic "virus" are found on the world’s beaches. The Johns Hopkins Covid-19 map of outbreaks mapped where that coronavirus had propagated, and local health officials worked to stop the transmission of the virus to eliminate or reduce the size of the outbreak.
Most of us have seen the map of Covid-19 outbreaks. Image credit: Johns Hopkins University
Documenting the outbreaks of ocean plastic
Using the same Esri technology as the Johns Hopkins map, OpenOceans Global’s Plastic Trash Map is documenting the outbreaks of ocean plastic to learn where the world needs to stop the transmission of the plastic and plug the leaks into the environment before the plastic reaches the beaches and the ocean.
The OpenOceans map shows some locations in the world where pervasive outbreaks of plastic pollution have been documented. Each icon links to a photo and contains background information. Image credit: Esri ArcGIS Online / OpenOceans Global
We know there are more beaches to document. Help us find them!
It’s one thing to think about ocean plastic pollution conceptually. It’s quite another thing to see what it looks like on the most trashed beaches in the world.
Our citizen science survey tool allows anyone to take a photo of a beach fouled by plastic and to submit it directly to the map for verification. Or you can upload an image and locate it on the map in the survey.
Please help us document the outbreaks of plastic in your part of the world.
We have a one-page guide called “This, not that” to help you understand whether a beach meets the criteria necessary for inclusion.
Thank you!
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Quotable
From the World Resources Institute webinar, Plastics: Exposing Their Climate Impacts.
- “If we can solve plastic, we can solve climate.” Dr. Sweta Chakraborty, CEO, We Don’t Have Time North America
- “We are guaranteed that the UN Ocean Plastic Treaty will be a failure,” U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.
Image credit: Seppo Leinonen
- Managing Tariff Challenges in the Plastics Industry, TechmerPM, May 21, 2025
- Unpacking the Plastic Value Chain: Litigation Risks and Legal Implications, Planet Tracker, May 19, 2025
- On a pristine Australian island, the seabirds have become so full of plastic they crackle and crunch, ABC News Australia, May 14, 2025
- Plastic may be warming the planet more than we thought, Washington Post, May 14, 2025
- Conservative activists say Walmart, Colgate should rethink plastics packaging plans, Plastics News, May 13, 2025
- Volunteers Keep Thousands of Recyclable Items Out of Louisiana Landfills, Waste Advantage, May 12, 2025
- Ziploc hit with class-action lawsuit for allegedly misleading claims: 'Leading consumers to believe they are … without risk', Yahoo News, May 9, 2025
- Okra and fenugreek extracts remove most microplastics from water, finds research, PHYS.ORG, May 6, 2025
- Heart disease deaths worldwide linked to chemical widely used in plastics, MedicalXPress, April 29, 2025
- Tampa, FL Sees 25% Increase in Waste Production Since 2020, Waste Advantage, April 28, 2025
- Kennedy eyes tougher packaging rules, spotlight on microplastics, Plastics News, April 24, 2025
- Microplastics still slip through wastewater treatment plants, carrying pollutants and threatening long-term health, PHYS.ORG, April 21, 2025
- Federal science panel takes deep dive on microplastics, Plastics News, April 14, 2025
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Help Locate Plastic-Fouled Coastlines
Each month we share an image of a beach fouled by plastic. To report a shoreline fouled by significant amounts of plastic debris, use our online plastic trash reporting app. Thank you!
This Month’s Coastal Hotspot: Kpoete Beach, Prampram, Ghana
Image credit: Plastic Punch
According to Plastic Punch, a nonprofit working in Ghana, the Kpoete community has been working hard to fight the negative effects of plastic pollution at Kpoete Beach in Prampram. In July 2023, they collaborated with Plastic Punch to organize a beach cleanup. This was a success, and the community organized another cleanup on August 7, 2023, where they collected 357 kg of trash in two hours. The data from these cleanups helped Plastic Punch advocate for better policies to reduce plastic pollution. The community members are also awarded monetary incentives for their efforts, which helps to motivate them to continue their work.
The location of Kpoete Beach (red target on the left). Image credit: Esri ArcGIS Online / OpenOceans Global
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Solutions to the Ocean Plastic Crisis
See more solutions on our ocean plastic solutions page. Have a solution we should know about? Submit it here.
This Month's Featured Solution: Coastal Marine Litter Observatory 
The Greek Blue Mission Med HUB organized a groundbreaking demonstration of the Coastal Marine Litter Observation (CMLO) system at Skalosia beach in Greece. Image credit: BlueMissionMed HUB
The Coastal Marine Litter Observatory (CMLO) offers a cutting-edge solution to combat marine plastic pollution. This innovative platform integrates drone technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and geospatial analytics to provide precise, real-time data on marine litter distribution in coastal areas. CMLO is a service of Scidrones, a firm dedicated to revolutionizing remote sensing and geoinformation processing. The firm’s drones are equipped with advanced sensors to conduct high-resolution aerial surveys of coastal areas, capturing imagery of marine litter. The imagery is processed using AI algorithms that identify and classify seven types of marine litter, including plastic, rubber, cloth, metal, ceramic, wood, and glass. The data is integrated into a GIS platform, creating detailed maps highlighting pollution hotspots. CMLO’s real-time monitoring allows for timely interventions and adaptive management strategies, providing data and insights to guide policymaking. Unlike conventional monitoring methods, which can be labor-intensive and expensive, CMLO offers a scalable and cost-effective approach to marine litter monitoring, with the advantage of accessing hard-to-reach areas.
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Meet the Experts and Leaders
OpenOceans Global is identifying ocean plastic experts from around the world. Here is an expert leading efforts to reduce plastic pollution that you should know about.
Maria Tsakona, Senior Expert, Waste and Marine Litter, GRID-Arendal
Image credit: GRID-Arendal
Maria Tsakona is an international waste management consultant with over 18 years of experience in the solid waste management sector. She has served GRID-Arendal in a consulting role as a senior expert in waste and marine litter since 2019. GRID-Arendal is a Norwegian research organization with a mission of creating environmental knowledge that encourages positive change. Tsakona provides consultant services through Qgreen. She has contributed to initiatives targeting marine litter, plastic recycling, and plastic pollution mitigation. Currently, she focuses on the just transition of the informal recycling sector under the lead of GRID-Arendal. Tsakona's expertise includes solid waste management, circular economy principles, and innovative environmental protection solutions. She has managed environmental engineering projects in Jordan, Turkey, Israel, the Balkan Region, Brazil, Indonesia, the Maldives, etc. She has contributed to feasibility studies and environmental impact assessments, providing insights for sustainable waste management policies. Tsakona is a member of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) and ISWA’s Marine Litter Task Force. She also founded ISWA’s Women of Waste initiative in 2016 to support and bring visibility to women’s work in the waste sector. She has collaborated with a diverse range of global organizations, including the USAID Clean Cities Blue Ocean Program, GIZ, WIEGO, UNEP, and others. Tsakona is the lead author of Drowning in Plastics: Marine Litter and Plastic Waste Vital Graphics. She has a BS in environmental engineering and a Master’s degree in environmental health engineering from the Technical University of Crete.
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