A 2015 study led by the University of Georgia ranked India 12th among the top 20 coastal populations (and 192 countries) in the world that sent 0.60 million tonnes per year of mismanaged plastic waste into the ocean.
Each time polythene covers, carry bags, or synthetic packaging materials are carelessly dropped on the streets or disposed into open drains, creeks and rivers, the wind and rain carry these trash into the sea as run-offs. Additionally, plastic litter strewn on beaches becomes brittle under hot and humid conditions, and settles on the sea bed in the form of micro plastics and nanoplastics.
While the sea throws some of the non-biodegradable marine debris back on to the land, the initial results by ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Institute (CMFRI) revealed the highest average concentration of non-biodegradable marine debris (NBMD) found by trawler nets in the fishing grounds off Mumbai at 49.11kg per square kilometre (sq km).