The United States contributes approximately 8 million metric tons of plastic waste to the world’s oceans every single year devastating marine ecosystems. America is the third largest ocean polluter in the world generating more plastic waste per capita than almost any other developed nation globally. Single use plastics including bags bottles straws and food containers make up the majority of plastic pollution found in American coastal waters. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch which is twice the size of Texas contains significant amounts of plastic waste originating from the United States. Marine animals including sea turtles whales dolphins and seabirds mistake plastic for food leading to injury starvation and death of millions of creatures. Microplastics tiny plastic particles less than 5mm have been found in American seafood drinking water and even human blood samples recently. By 2050 scientists predict there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans by weight if current pollution trends continue without intervention. Only 5 to 6 percent of plastic in America is actually recycled with the vast majority ending up in landfills waterways and eventually oceans. Beach cleanups across America collect millions of pounds of plastic annually but this represents only a tiny fraction of total ocean plastic pollution. Solving ocean plastic pollution requires reducing single use plastics improving recycling systems and holding manufacturers responsible for the entire lifecycle of their products.