The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that a significant portion of this ocean plastic debris is expected to make its way onto either beach or the seated in three to four years

They incorporated data from the start of the pandemic in 2020 through August 2021, finding that most of the global plastic waste entering the ocean is coming from Asia, with hospital waste representing the bulk of the land discharge

The study stresses the need for better management of medical waste in developing countries

The researchers found that most of the global plastic waste from the pandemic is entering the ocean from rivers

Asian rivers account for 73% of the total discharge of plastics, with the top three contributors being the Shatt al-Arab, Indus, and Yangtze rivers, which discharge into the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, and the East China Sea

European rivers account for 11% of the discharge

The waste is intensifying pressure on an out-of-control global plastic problem

A smaller portion will go into the open ocean, eventually be trapped in the centers of ocean basins, which can become garbage patches, and accumulate in the Arctic Ocean

The model shows that about 80% of the plastic debris that transits into the Arctic Ocean will sink quickly, and a circumpolar plastic accumulation zone is modeled to form by 2025

The pandemic has led to an increased demand for single-use plastics such as face masks, gloves, and face shields

The team used a newly developed ocean plastic numerical model to quantify the impact of the pandemic on plastic discharge