A comprehensive report examining how worldwide plastic pollution changed during the pandemic noted the following facts about plastic pollution prior to the COVID-19 outbreak:

• In 2010, as much as 12.7 million metric tons of plastic entered marine environments, with as much as 2.4 million delivered by rivers
• An estimated 5 trillion plastic debris are floating in the world's oceans
• An estimated 7 trillion plastic debris will enter San Francisco Bay each year