Ocean Conservancy Launches Wildlife Impact Calculator
Why this is here: The calculator is based on research showing that just three sugar cubes worth of plastic has a 90% chance of killing an Atlantic puffin, highlighting the danger of even small plastic amounts.
Ocean Conservancy released a Wildlife Impact Calculator to quantify how beach cleanups protect marine animals. The calculator estimates the number of animal lives saved based on the types and amounts of plastic removed from beaches. Researchers found even small amounts of plastic can be lethal to wildlife, with three sugar cubes potentially killing a seabird.
Ocean Conservancy has organized annual International Coastal Cleanups for 40 years. Nearly 19 million volunteers removed over 400 million pounds of debris. Raw data on collected items didn’t always illustrate the direct impact on wildlife.
The new calculator uses data from a 2025 study identifying lethal plastic doses for various animals. It shows, for example, that removing 20 bottles, 15 caps, and 10 bags could protect five sea turtles and 25 seabirds.