An overview of ocean plastics policy and the importance of public education and engagement

Plastics are ubiquitous in every aspect of life, including presence in the ocean from throughout the water column to the deep sea. Much of the plastic produced is single-use, which once disposed, ends up downstream from source sites, entering rivers that ultimately empty into an already globally stressed ocean. As research on ocean plastics expands, the world is quickly learning that system-wide effects of ocean plastics, including sources, are often unknown; ocean and human health remain clear concerns. Yet it is scientific research on ocean plastics, from pathways of entry to system-wide effects, that will inform ocean plastics policy at all levels. This chapter presents an overview of past and current plastics policies from national regional and international levels, including their effectiveness and trends. It also discusses effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on plastics policy, environmental justice concerns, and addresses the critical importance of public education and engagement in driving and sustaining current and future plastic policy actions towards solutions, from local to global levels. As the global economy in a post-COVID-19 pandemic world moves forward, solving system-wide ocean plastics problems presents an unprecedented opportunity to inform policy from local to global levels in support of achieving SDG14.1.