Plastic trash in the ocean is a global problem, and the US is the top source

PLASTIC waste of all shapes and sizes permeates the world's oceans. It shows up on beaches, in fish and even in Arctic Sea ice. And a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine makes clear that the US is a big part of the problem.

As the report shows, the US produces a large share of the global supply of plastic resin — the precursor material to all plastic industrial and consumer products. It also imports and exports billions of dollars' worth of plastic products every year.