ocean-plastic

How machine learning powers ocean cleanup robots to detect, route toward, and remove plastic from rivers and open water, and where the technology still falls short.

A 2021 model of more than 1,000 rivers put the Philippines first, at about 36 percent of plastic carried to the sea by rivers, followed by India, Malaysia, China, and Indonesia. The ranking says as much about geography and waste systems as about consumption, and the estimates carry large uncertainty.