Researchers said we must trigger a revolution in the plastic industrial cycle

If it continues, the oceans will have more plastic than fish in them by 2050

Rubbish is finding its way into the sea at a rate of one truckload a minute

A shocking report has revealed the scale of plastics going into our oceans

The amount of plastic rubbish in the world's oceans will outweigh fish by 2050 unless the world takes drastic action to further recycle, a new report has warned.

Researchers warned eight million tonnes of plastics currently find their way into the ocean every year - the equivalent of one truckload every minute.

At current rates, this will worsen to four truckloads per minute in 2050 and outstrip native life to become the largest mass inhabiting the oceans.

The amount of plastic rubbish in our oceans is increasing at such a rate it will outnumber the fish by 2050

The startling claim was made at the World Economic Forum talks currently underway in Davos, Switzerland.

Today marked the opening day of the annual gathering of the rich and powerful in the snow-clad ski resort, which was buoyed by an appearance by Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio.

An overwhelming 95 per cent of plastic packaging - worth £65 - £92billion - is lost to the economy after a single use, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation report stated.

The organisation, which also drew on analysis by the McKinsey Centre for Business and Environment, is fronted by the yachtswoman who campaigns for recycling.

The study proposed setting up a new system to slash the leaking of plastics into nature, especially the oceans, and to find alternatives to crude oil and natural gas as the raw material of plastic production.

'If no action is taken, this is expected to increase to two [truckloads] per minute by 2030 and four per minute by 2050,' it said, with packaging estimated to represent the largest share of the pollution.

Available research estimates that there are more than 150 million tonnes of plastics in the ocean today.

'In a business-as-usual scenario, the ocean is expected to contain one tonne of plastic for every three tonnes of fish by 2025, and by 2050, more plastics than fish,' it said.

'This report demonstrates the importance of triggering a revolution in the plastics industrial ecosystem and is a first step to showing how to transform the way plastics move through our economy,' said Dominic Waughray of the World Economic Forum, which released the report.

'To move from insight to large-scale action, it is clear that no one actor can work on this alone.

'The public, private sector and civil society all need to mobilize to capture the opportunity of the new circular plastics economy.'

Researchers said there needed to be a 'revolution' in the plastic industrial cycle allowing for much greater recycling

A sweeping change in the use of plastic packaging would require cooperation worldwide between consumer goods companies, plastic packaging producers, businesses involved in collection, cities, policymakers and other organisations, said the report.

It proposed creating an independent coordinating body for the initiative.

'Plastics are the workhorse material of the modern economy with unbeaten properties. However, they are also the ultimate single-use material,' said Martin Stuchtey of the McKinsey Center for Business and Environment.

'Growing volumes of end-of-use plastics are generating costs and destroying value to the industry,' he added.

Reusable plastics could become a valuable commodity in a 'circular economy' that relied on recycling, Mr Stuchtey said.