Two main camps have emerged in the search for consensus on how to address plastic pollution. On one side, many oil-producing countries argue that tactics such as recycling and reusing can address the problem. (Petroleum is a primary raw material in plastic production.) On the other side are advocates for a more comprehensive approach who believe that current methods are insufficient to stem the crisis.

Conventional plastics are not biodegradable and often take hundreds of years to break down. Plastics are primarily made from synthetic polymers that are designed to resist natural decay processes and thus persist in the environment for extended periods. In fact, each year 18 billion pounds of plastic seep into oceans from coasts—scientists have found plastic bags at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, 36,000 feet below sea level. And then there’s the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an island of discarded plastic that is now triple the size of France.

Microplastics are small pieces of plastic that occur in the environment as a consequence of plastic pollution. They are present in many products including cosmetics, synthetic clothing, plastic bags and bottles. They’ve been found in drinking water, beer, and food products, including table salt. They have been detected in human tissues and organs and found in more than 114 aquatic species. Microplastics also are a source of air pollution, occurring in dust and airborne fibrous particles.