Plastic pollution can affect land, water, and oceans. It is estimated that 1.1 to 8.8 million metric tons of plastic waste enter the ocean from coastal areas every year. Organisms, especially marine animals, may be harmed by mechanical effects such as entanglement of plastic objects or issues related to the ingestion of plastic waste, or exposure to chemicals in plastic that interfere with their physiology. Humans are also affected by plastic pollution, for example by disrupting various hormone mechanisms.

As of 2018, approximately 380 million tons of plastic were produced annually worldwide. From the 1950s to 2018, it is estimated that 6.3 billion tons of plastic were produced worldwide, of which approximately 9% were recycled and the remaining 12% were burned. This large amount of plastic waste inevitably enters the environment, and research shows that 90% of seabird carcasses contain plastic fragments. In some regions, significant efforts have been made to reduce the prominent problem of plastic pollution by reducing plastic consumption and promoting plastic recycling.