Amount of plastic dumped in Mediterranean Sea to double in 20 years: IUCN report

A plastic bag in the Mediterranean sea between water surface and a sandy seabed. Phtoto: AFP

Nearly 230,000 tonnes of plastic is dumped into the Mediterranean Sea every year, a figure which could more than double by 2040 unless "ambitious" steps are taken, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature said.

Egypt, Italy and Turkey are the countries that release the most plastic into the sea, mainly due to large coastal populations and huge amounts of "mismanaged waste," an IUCN report found.