Plastic pollution of the oceans is sometimes referred to as the "seventh continent". Our oceans contain about 270,000 tonnes of floating plastic, and many more tonnes drift between different bodies of water. It is commonly known that they have an adverse effect on marine life since turtles, birds, and marine mammals frequently perish after swallowing plastic debris from can bags or packaging rings that humans release into the environment. 1.5 million animals per year are killed by plastics. However, the effect of plastics on corals that create reefs had gone unnoticed until recently, maybe because of their purported separation from plastic sources. However, examination of oceanic plastic trash has revealed that it can harbour a variety of microorganisms, particularly certain microbes that cause coral disease.