MICROPLASTIC Part 3 - This is how plastic enters the ocean. Accidental litter and plastic from illegal dumping are pushed into our waterways by rain and wind. Sometimes, the plastic enters a storm drain first, which lets out at lakes, rivers and even the ocean. Plastic intended for recycling can be exported away to places with little or no waste management infrastructure. The plastic is sometimes burned, but also escapes into the environment. Fishing debris is almost exclusively made of plastic. Fibers can shed off nets. Gear like eel cones and fishing crates break up over time. No matter what path plastic takes to the ocean, it has the potential to become microplastic.