Sorry state of our plastic oceans.

First of all why don’t the people from that town clean up their harbor? Is it because... never mind.

The problem isn’t the plastic, it s the people. Simple.

At the risk of being politically incorrect, trash gets dump by people from s - - t hole countries. China is one the worst polluter (and not just plastic). Same with India, Africa etc. so while we spend huge amounts of money to eliminate single use plastic, it won’t have much of an impact because people innthe civilized world do not litter much in the first place. Except for Carnival cruise lines.

Most of the time when going to ocean side beaches in the Exumas we fill up a couple of trash bags with plastic washed ashore. Most of it is either container shapes we re not familiar with and/or imprints or labor in chinese, Arabic, etc

Been in a lot of ports during my 23 year Merchant Marine Career. It ain't the First World Countries that's doing it. Europe was really clean - but almost all the countries outside of Europe had issues. Japan and Korea (the exception) spent a lot of effort trying to keep clean. Forget Viet Nam, Singapore, Malasia, PI, etc. And over in the Sand Castle? Forget it.

But to differ with Pascal about "the civilized world", the USA still has some issues with people and their garbage -
"https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/28/us/floatopia-virginia-beach-trash-chics-beach-trnd/index.html"

I remember being on a ship in Yokosuka, when 7000 people showed up on the pier to watch a fireworks display, and the next morning there wasn't ANY trash. . . Those folks knew how to pick up after themselves.

There are exceptions everywhere although here there is usually a social and even ethnic components to littering

Just a mile from here, Miami Coconut grove, there is a hood called the west grove. Litters everywhere. Why don’t the residents clean up? Often when I park my car at the marina, I find litter in the parking, fast food bags, cans... I pick it up! And I can guarantee you that it is left behind on the ground by fresh arrivals from SOOTB

This is a yachting site, I took down a YouTube video on waste electronics and appliances I put up.
If you got 51 minutes to waste, pm me I'll send you the link.

This is a problem and the people themselves, mostly in third world countries. I have a customer in Panama City, Panama. And, I joke with him that I navigate to the Pearl Islands by following the endless stream of trash that is floating.

Growing up here in the U.S. I remember the campaign beginning in the '50's to end littering. There were signs placed on highways in great numbers to combat the practice of throwing litter out of the car windows everywhere. So much so, that the Highway Patrol posted signs offering to act on eyewitness tips, fining litterers $500 and rewarding the person making the complaint $50 or 10% of the fine. Cars then didn't have a designated trash holding facility. Come to think of it, my newish one doesn't either, but it does have little hooks to hang the disposable grocery bag handles on a flip-up containment bulkhead in the back storage area. Hooks are too small for reusable bags, though My trash bag hangs off the center console flip up arm rest hinge. It would be in the way hanging off the coat hook on the passenger headrest.
It takes three things to end visible trash problems; Education, peer pressure, and a refuse collection system. It takes political will and money to have an effective trash collection infrastructure.
Much of the trash floating in the ocean comes down river and streams after rains. There used to be a problem with syringes and needles ending up on the beaches after rains in San Diego, which was traced back to poor collection and disposal practices by hospitals and laboratories. It's worse when people live in poverty upstream.
Like most social problems, there are no simple solutions, but issues like littering can be influenced by positive action like Pascal's picking up other's litter. Parked at a lookout spot at the beach, the other day, a couple of surfer boys in their 20's sat in their car next to us and ate their lunch. The driver tossed out his wrappers, and my wife asked if he was just going to leave that there or throw it in the trash can they were parked in front of. That helps, too. Personally, I am absolutely incapable of littering. I'll carry a sticky ice cream wrapper for miles before leaving it on the ground. I'm that well socialized, and I'll guess that most of the people on this forum are the same. It's the result of education, followed by social pressure. We take a lot for granted in our countries. A few weeks ago, I was waiting for the pedestrian signal to change in Ensenada, Mexico. I watched a car pull up across the street and thought it was a street vendor setting up for the cruise ship passengers, but it was a nicely dressed woman with a largish bag of trash. She dumped it in the street trash bin and left. Apparently there's no collection where she lives.
We live in a tourist-dense city (San Diego) and I constantly marvel at what a convenience-poor environment we provide for our cash-cow visitors. Trash receptacles in the most popular areas are significant distances apart, and public restrooms? None to be seen. Must be because it's good for business, because, after all; "Restrooms For Customers Only" is prominently displayed.

We regularly pick up lots of plastic, some beer cans, hats, flip flops (usually one), and assorted trash that washes on to our small piece of beach. Remember the movie Mosquito Coast, "If it doesn't wash up on the Beach it isn't worth having". We occasionally retrieve some good stuff too.