By IUCN estimates, over 300 million tons of plastic are produced every year for use in a wide variety of applications. At least 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year, and plastic makes up 80% of all marine debris found from surface waters to deep-sea sediments. The International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) takes place every September, where volunteers around the world come together to clean beaches and waterways of trash - a global effort that has been running for more than 35 years. In Malaysia, the campaign is coordinated annually by Reef Check Malaysia, and this year, volunteers collectively removed over 1000 kg of trash in one day alone! What makes up this waste, and what were the main culprits in this year’s cleanup? What more can be done by all levels of society, to prevent waste - plastic or otherwise - from reaching our oceans and waterways? We discuss this and more in another episode of Plastic Soup on Earth Matters, with Theresa Ng, a Programme Development Manager at Reef Check Malaysia.

Image credit: Facebook / Reef Check Malaysia