A Pandemic Legacy of Plastic
The COVID-19 pandemic did not just reshape lives—it reshaped the ocean. A new study estimates that more than 28,000 tons (25,000 metric tons) of pandemic-related plastic waste, including masks, gloves, and packaging, has already entered the ocean. To put that in perspective, it’s the equivalent of more than 2,000 double-decker buses worth of debris. Researchers warn that this waste, carried through rivers, could reach as far as the Arctic within a few years.
Where All the Waste Came From
Globally, 193 countries generated about 9.2 million tons (8.4 million metric tons) of plastic waste linked to the pandemic between its onset and August 2021. The breakdown reveals the dominance of medical usage:
- Hospitals accounted for 87.4% of the waste.
- Individual use contributed 7.6%.
- Packaging made up 4.7%.
- Test kits represented 0.3%.
Medical plastics, in particular, are difficult to dispose of safely and often escape into waterways, intensifying environmental pressures.
How the Plastic Reached the Oceans
By August 2021, researchers predicted that nearly 28,550 tons (25,900 metric tons) of pandemic plastics had already made their way to the seas. This debris was carried through 369 major rivers, spreading across coastal waters and beyond. The model forecasts that within three years, most of this material will shift from open waters to beaches and the seafloor, with more than 70% expected to wash ashore by year’s end.
Long-Term Impacts
The research warns of troubling long-term consequences. While coastal regions will bear the immediate brunt of the waste, garbage patches are likely to form in the northeast Pacific and southeast Indian oceans. Some plastic may even reach the Arctic, where it will sink to the seabed, forming what the researchers predict will be a circumpolar accumulation zone by 2025.
Looking further ahead, projections for the end of the century suggest that nearly all pandemic plastics will end up trapped in two places:
- 28.8% in the seabed, threatening benthic ecosystems in the ocean’s depths.
- 70.5% along beaches, degrading coastal habitats worldwide.
A Call for Action
These findings underline the urgent need for better waste management, particularly in developing countries where medical waste often leaks into rivers. Stronger collection, treatment, and disposal systems are essential to prevent further ocean contamination. More broadly, reducing reliance on single-use plastics and developing sustainable alternatives are key to ensuring that the pandemic’s plastic legacy does not permanently scar the planet’s oceans.
