More and more plastic is finding its way into the ocean – and the problem is getting worse.

A new study shows that 90 per cent of sea birds will have some plastic in their stomachs.

A pristine ocean doesn’t exist anymore…

Even more worrying, they estimate that it is “virtually certain” that by 2050 every dead bird “will have a bit of plastic in their stomach”.

Just to put this into perspective, back in 1960, data showed that fewer than 5 per cent of birds had waste in their stomachs.

The oceans that are most at risk are where the most seabirds are found – mainly the Southern Ocean near Australia, South Africa and South America.

“A pristine ocean doesn’t exist anymore,” Dr Van Sebille told BBC News.

“Every ocean is now filled with plastic. Some have more than others, but what we found is that even the oceans that are not known for their plastic – they still have quite a bit of plastic and they can be where the harm is really done just because that’s where all the birds live.”

But this isn’t anything new – the plastic problem has been in our headlines for years. Studies show around 8 million tonnes of plastic waste end up in the ocean each year.

What can you do about it? Recycle. Use less disposable plastic. Check out this girl who collected two years worth of trash in a single jam jar.