The world has a plastic pollution crisis. Since 1950, humans have produced more than 8 billion tons of plastic, more than half of which went straight to landfills and only about 9% of which was recycled. Plastic can wreak slow but certain havoc on an environment in multiple ways, from leaching toxic chemicals into the soil and groundwater to directly choking or poisoning animals who unwittingly ingest it.

While plastic waste on land is undeniably a concern, a large percentage of plastic that isn’t recycled, incinerated (which emits pollutants), or sent to landfills ultimately ends up in the oceans, where it creates even larger problems. Plastic in the ocean can injure some animals outright and is frequently—and fatally—mistaken for food by others. For example, in 2019, a young Cuvier's beaked whale washes ashore in the Philippines and soon died. A necropsy revealed its stomach was clogged by more than 88 pounds (40 kg) of plastic trash. A similar tragedy occurred in Greece in 2021.