Cities and towns along the Mississippi River are joining the United Nations' global campaign to stop single-use plastics from polluting the world's oceans, a collective of river mayors announced today. The 2,300-mile Mississippi accounts for the largest discharge of river water in North America. Yet river-carried plastics and refuse have not received as much attention as the ocean-borne trash flotillas that have been documented around the world. However, 80% of plastic waste in the world's oceans originates from land-based sources, according to the United Nations' Clean Seas initiative. Recognizing the river's substantial contribution to the problem, the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI) said it would seek commitments from as many as 90 riverfront communities to address the problem.
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