#think i'm just gonna blacklist the word fishing and thus never see this argument again

[notwhelmedyet]

i know, i know, people have strong feelings about straws but fishing nets are not the majority of plastic waste in the ocean. every time I see that claim i get so tetchy. It's source is one study of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (which found 48% fishing gear). That study is great at describing what it describes: the origin of plastics in a specific region of the ocean! But gyres collect plastic that floats! Not all plastic floats! The estimate I've seen for ocean-pollution overall is 10% fishing gear.

And microplastics don't come only from the ocean! From what I recall, a major source of airborne plastic pollution is car tires. A major source of water plastic pollution if synthetic fibers from washing clothes. Drinking bottled water is a major ingestion source of microplastics but all plastic packaging carries some risk.

each individual has a minimal impact overall and disabled people should absolutely make use of the accommodations they need but the rhetoric that somehow humans collectively are not consuming plastic is going to make my head explode