Most of the trash in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch travelled there from a river. Even though there are thousands of rivers on Earth, the vast majority of plastic garbage comes from only 1% of the world’s rivers yearly.

Explore the video below to learn more about the most polluting rivers.

How 1% of the World’s Rivers Emit 80% of the Pollution to Our Oceans | Research | The Ocean Cleanup

Each river is unique and needs a different approach to cleaning. The following factors influence river protection:

  • climate
  • type of land
  • type of plants and animals
  • how far the river is from the ocean
  • how humans use the river

MATH EXTENSION

  1. Assume 80% of the plastic garbage on earth weighs 2.7 million tonnes. What would be the total weight of all plastic garbage?
  2. If 1000 rivers contribute 2.7 million tonnes of garbage per year, approximately how many tonnes come from each river?