While many other studies have suggested that there will be a massive influx of Covid-related mismanaged plastic waste, the researchers from the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) believe their project is the first to assess the magnitude of the waste that will enter the oceans.
It uses a newly developed ocean plastic numerical model to quantify the impact of the pandemic on plastic discharge from land sources.
Using the model, the researchers found that more than eight million tons of pandemic-associated plastic waste has been generated globally, with more than 25,000 tons entering the global ocean.
Within three to four years, a significant portion of this ocean plastic debris is expected to make its way onto either beaches or the seabed. A smaller portion will go into the open ocean and will eventually be trapped in the centres of ocean basins or subtropical gyres, becoming floating garbage patches.
The researchers incorporated data from...