Every year, an estimated 10 to 40 million metric tons of mismanaged microplastics are released into the ocean, and that number is anticipated to double by 2040. Dan Turner, founder of Blue Whale Technologies and a veteran environmental engineer with over 40 years in advanced wastewater treatment, stresses that, without real change, the rapid accumulation of plastic waste is not expected to change any time soon.
"There's more than 8 million metric tons of inert plastic already circulating through ocean gyres, along with fishing gear, rope, and degraded debris that continuously photodegrades into microplastics," Turner explains, emphasizing that these particles, now ubiquitous, can create a toxic medium that penetrates every level of the marine ecosystem.
