Share of plastic leakage into the environment 2019, by type
Globally, an estimated 22 million metric tons of plastics leaked into the environment in 2019. Of this total, 88 percent were macroplastics, with microplastics accounting for the remaining 12 percent. Transportation-related microplastics, such as from tire wear particles, accounted for the largest share of microplastics leakage that year.