There’s a lot of reasons that plastic goes into the ocean. Some of it is is from litter, some from fishing boats, some from cruise ships, yachts, and military ships. However most plastic entering the ocean actually comes from developing countries without the waste management infrastructure to handle the waste.
Citizens in these developing countries have tough choices either burn their trash or dump it somewhere where it will leak into the waterways. Both choices are bad.
Repurpose is giving a third choice where they can collect plastic and turn it in for money and other services to help them rise out of poverty.
An important thing to note is that a lot of wealthy countries ship garbage to developing countries, and that plastic can end up in the ocean.
Examples of plastic entering the ocean
This is a ravine in Guatemala that is used as the community waste dump. The ravine goes straight into a stream that is 50 meters away from the river.
This is the bank of the Maria Linda river. This is used as a dumping spot because when the rain comes it washes the trash straight into the river. Because of these dump sites the Maria Linda river is one of the most polluting rivers in the world.