Image credit: Lester Graham/Michigan Radio Plastic pollution is not only affecting the oceans but also the Great Lakes. One study out of the Rochester Institute of Technology estimates 22 million pounds of plastic debris enters the Great Lakes from the U.S. and Canada each year. There’s been a lot of news about the amount of plastic debris in the oceans. But, plastic pollution is also affecting the Great Lakes. One study out of the Rochester Institute of Technology estimates 22 million pounds of plastic debris enters the Great Lakes from the U.S. and Canada each year. It’s windy and chilly as volunteers are picking up trash along and area of Lake Michigan north of Muskegon.