Much of the planet is swimming in discarded plastic, which is harming animal and possibly human health. Can it be cleaned up?

Half of all plastics ever manufactured have been made in the last 15 years.

Production increased exponentially, from 2 million tons of plastics in 1950 to 448 million tons by 2015.

Production is expected to double by 2050.

Every year, about 8 million tons of plastic waste escapes into the oceans from coastal nations.