THE United Nations warned an environment conference yesterday that dumping plastic waste into the world’s oceans is costing at least $13 billion (£7.64bn) a year.

“Plastics have come to play a crucial role in modern life but environmental impacts cannot be ignored,” said UN environment programme chief Achim Steiner.

“The key course of action is to prevent plastic debris entering the environment in the first place.”

Scientists have found tiny plastic fragments trapped in sea ice in polar regions and plastic waste is killing marine life and causes “damage to critical habitats such as coral reefs.”

There are also concerns about chemical contamination, invasive species spread by plastic fragments and economic damage to fishing and tourism industries.

Companies should take responsibility, experts argued. “Research unveils the need for companies to consider their plastic footprint, just as they do for carbon, water and forestry,” said plastic-disclosure project chief Andrew Russell.