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Rivers Are Responsible for Most of the Plastic Waste in the World’s Ocean
Half of the Top 20 Rivers Are in the Philippines
More than 11 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean each year. Imagine more than 1 million trash trucks each carrying an average of 13 tons (11.8 metric tons) of trash lined up to dump their load in your coastal waters. Rivers are the conveyors for most of that plastic - at least 1 million metric tons of it, most from locations in Southeast and South Asia.
The map shows the 20 rivers carrying the largest volumes of plastic debris that has washed up on beaches throughout the globe. Users can select the Major Ocean Currents visualization to see the paths that plastic from these rivers (in red) might have taken to reach beaches and coastlines that collect large amounts of plastic waste (target icons and red dots).
Ten Countries Contribute 84% of All River-Borne Plastic to the Ocean
Half of the top 20 rivers are in the Philippines, and all but three are in Luzon, the count's largest and most populous island. The world's most polluting river1, the Pasig, bisects the capital of Manila before emptying into Laguna de Bay or Manila Bay, depending on the water level difference between them. (Rivers in red on the map)
The Philippines contribute 36% of river-borne plastic to the world's ocean and is one of ten countries, that together, contribute 84% of river-borne plastic to the ocean. The others are India (13%), Malaysia (7.3%), China (7.1%), Indonesia (5.6%), Myanmar (4%), Brazil (3.8.5), Vietnam (2.8%), Bangladesh (2.5%), and Thailand (2.3%). (Countries in pink on the map)
Another Philippine river, the Tullahan, is estimated to emit the second largest amount of plastic, along with India's Ulhas and Malaysia's Klang.
67% of All Macroplastic Accumulates Along Shorelines
Not all plastic that flows from these and other rivers reaches a distant coast or finds its way to the ocean gyres. A 2019 study estimated that 67% of all buoyant macroplastic (bigger than .5 centimeters) accumulated along shorelines, about 110 million tons.*
That's far more than the estimated 31% that have accumulated in coastal waters and the roughly 1% found offshore or circulating in distant gyres.
The best immediate strategy for curbing ocean plastic from reaching the ocean is to stop the plastic at or before the mouths of polluting rivers, before it enters the marine environment. This interim step could be effective while the all-important efforts to improve waste management globally and the reduction in the use of plastic overall, particularly single-use plastic, continues.
The 20 Rivers Carrying the Largest Volumes of Plastic Waste to the Ocean
Source: Lourens J.J. Meijer et al., “ Global distribution of riverine plastic emissions.” Publication expected this year.
Rank | River Name Country: | Receiving Sea | Continent | Plastic Load to the Ocean Metric Tons/Year |
1 | Pasig Country: Philippines | Manila Bay/South China Sea | Asia | 63,000 |
2 | Tullahan Country: Philippines | Manila Bay, South China Sea | Asia | 13,000 |
3 | Ulhas Country: India | Arabian Sea | Asia | 13,000 |
4 | Klang Country: Malaysia | Strait of Malacca, Andaman Sea | Asia | 13,000 |
5 | Meycauayan Country: Philippines | Manila Bay/South China Sea | Asia | 12,000 |
6 | Pampanga Country: Philippines | Manila Bay/South China Sea | Asia | 9,300 |
7 | Libmanan Country: Philippines | Philippine Sea | Asia | 7,100 |
8 | Ganges Country: India | Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean | Asia | 6,200 |
9 | Rio Grande de Mindanao Country: Philippines | Celebes Sea | Asia | 5,300 |
10 | Agno Country: Philippines | Liingayen Gulf, South China Sea | Asia | 4,600 |
11 | Agusan Country: Philippines | Bohol Sea, Sulu Sea | Asia | 4,600 |
12 | Paranaque Country: Philippines | Manila Bay/South China Sea | Asia | 4,600 |
13 | Iloilo Country: Philippines | Panay Gulf, Sulu Sea | Asia | 4,200 |
14 | Soai Rap Country: Vietnam | Song Sai Gon, South China Sea | Asia | 4,100 |
15 | Chao Praya Country: Thailand | Gulf of Thailand, South China Sea | Asia | 4,000 |
16 | Lagos Harbor** Country: NIgeria | Gulf of Guinea, Atlantic Ocean | Africa | 4,000 |
17 | Hugli Country: India | Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean | Asia | 3,900 |
18 | Huangpu Country: China | East China Sea | Asia | 3,600 |
19 | Pazundaung Creek Country: Myanmar | Andaman Sea, Bay of Bengal | Asia | 3,600 |
20 | Bharathappuzha Country: India | Arabian Basin, Indian Ocean | Asia | 3,500 |