Tons of Floating Plastic on Surface of Great Lakes

Research shows half of plastic enters at Lake Michigan

For the first time…scientists have been able to calculate how much small particle plastic may be floating in the Great Lakes. A new report by the Rochester Institute of Technology says 22 million pounds of plastic ends up in the Great Lakes each year. Using a computer model looking at water flows and currents over a six-year period, scientist calculated how much plastic is floating on the surface of each of the lakes. Matt Hoffman is author of the Rochester Institute of Technology report. He tells WDET’s Amy Miller plastic floating on the surface represents only about 25-percent of what is actually in the water

 

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Author

  • Amy Miller
    Amy has been working in public and commercial radio for the last 30 yrs. She is an award winning reporter and news anchor, born and raised in Detroit.