Plastic pollution in the marine environment

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Abstract
The discharge and dumping of plastic debris into the world's oceans has become an increasingly serious form of marine pollution in recent years. To counter such practices, a number of international agreements containing specific prohibitions against dumping plastics into the marine environment have been promulgated. The 1972 London Dumping Convention, Annex V to the MARPOL Convention, and the 1978 MARPOL Protocol cite plastic pollution as unlawful in international waters. Though not yet in force, particular provisions mandating protection and preservation of the marine environment in the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention abo add considerable legal sway. Six special agreements of the UN Regional Seas Programme and three other relevant regional instruments contribute to banning pollution by dumping plastic substances in designated ocean areas. Given the large number of states that have legally committed themselves to being bound by one or more of these international agreements, a firm normative foundation appears to have evolved that prohibits marine plastic pollution. The full normative quality of this rule, however, will depend on the degree to which it is adhered to in state practice.