Great Pacific garbage patch

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The area of increased plastic particles is located within the North Pacific Gyre, one of the five
major oceanic gyres.

Play media
Visualisation showing ocean garbage patches.

The Great Pacific garbage patch, also described as the Pacific trash vortex, is a gyre of
marine debris particles in the central North Pacific Ocean discovered between 1985 and 1988. It
is located roughly between 135W to 155W and 35N and 42N.[1] The patch extends over an
indeterminate area of widely varying range depending on the degree of plastic concentration
used to define the affected area.

The patch is characterized by exceptionally high relative concentrations of pelagic plastics,

chemical sludge and other debris that have been trapped by the currents of the North Pacific
Gyre.[2] Its low density (4 particles per cubic meter) prevents detection by satellite photography,
or even by casual boaters or divers in the area. It consists primarily of a small increase in
suspended, often microscopic, particles in the upper water column.

Contents
1 Discovery
2 Information
3 Estimates of size
4 Photodegradation of plastics
 5 Effect on wildlife and humans
6 Controversy
7 Cleanup research
8 See also
9 References
10 Further reading
11 External links

Discovery[edit]

The Patch is created in the gyre of the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone

The great Pacific garbage patch was described in a 1988 paper published by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States. The description was
based on results obtained by several Alaska-based researchers between 1985 and 1988 that
measured neustonic plastic in the North Pacific Ocean.[3] Researchers found high concentrations
of marine debris accumulating in regions governed by ocean currents. Extrapolating from
findings in the Sea of Japan, the researchers hypothesized that similar conditions would occur in
other parts of the Pacific where prevailing currents were favorable to the creation of relatively
stable waters. They specifically indicated the North Pacific Gyre.[4]

Charles J. Moore, returning home through the North Pacific Gyre after competing in the
Transpac sailing race in 1999, claimed to have come upon an enormous stretch of floating debris.
Moore alerted the oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer, who subsequently dubbed the region the
"Eastern Garbage Patch" (EGP).[5] The area is frequently featured in media reports as an
exceptional example of marine pollution.[6]

The patch is not easily visible, because it consists of tiny pieces almost invisible to the naked
eye.[7] Most of its contents are suspended beneath the surface of the ocean,[8] and the relatively
low density of the plastic debris is, according to one scientific study, 5.1 kilograms per square
kilometer of ocean area (5.1 mg/m2).[9]

A similar patch of floating plastic debris is found in the Atlantic Ocean, called the North Atlantic
garbage patch.[10][11]
Information[edit]

The north Pacific Garbage Patch on a continuous ocean map

It is thought that, like other areas of concentrated marine debris in the world's oceans, the Great
Pacific garbage patch formed gradually as a result of ocean or marine pollution gathered by
oceanic currents.[12] The garbage patch occupies a large and relatively stationary region of the
North Pacific Ocean bound by the North Pacific Gyre (a remote area commonly referred to as the
horse latitudes). The gyre's rotational pattern draws in waste material from across the North
Pacific Ocean, including coastal waters off North America and Japan. As material is captured in
the currents, wind-driven surface currents gradually move floating debris toward the center,
trapping it in the region.

There is no strong scientific data concerning the origins of pelagic plastics.[dubious discuss][citation needed] In
a study published in 2014,[13] researchers sampled 1571 locations throughout the worlds oceans,
and determined that discarded fishing gear such as buoys, lines, and nets accounted for more
than 60%[14] of the mass of plastic marine debris. According to a 2011 EPA report, "The primary
source of marine debris is the improper waste disposal or management of trash and
manufacturing products, including plastics (e.g., littering, illegal dumping) ... Debris is generated
on land at marinas, ports, rivers, harbors, docks, and storm drains. Debris is generated at sea
from fishing vessels, stationary platforms and cargo ships."[15] Pollutants range in size from
abandoned fishing nets to micro-pellets used in abrasive cleaners.[16] Currents carry debris from
the west coast of North America to the gyre in about six years,[17] and debris from the east coast
of Asia in a year or less.[18][19]

A 2017 study conducted by scientists from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the
University of Georgia, concluded that of the 9.1 billion tons of plastic produced since 1950, close
to 7 billion tons are no longer in use.[20] The authors estimate that only 9 percent got recycled
over the years, while another 12 percent was incinerated, leaving 5.5 billion tons of plastic waste
to litter the oceans or land.[20]
Another recent Australian study focused on the high rate of seafloor plastic pollution, thereby
highlighting an often overlooked aspect of oceanic plastic pollution. The researchers from the
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania stated that "while the
huge volume of plastic debris accumulating in the world's oceans and on beaches has received
global attention, the amount of plastic accumulating on the seafloor is relatively unknown."[21][22]

Estimates of size[edit]
The size of the patch is unknown, as is the precise distribution of debris, because large items
readily visible from a boat deck are uncommon.[23] Most debris consists of small plastic particles
suspended at or just below the surface, making it difficult to accurately detect by aircraft or
satellite. Instead, the size of the patch is determined by sampling. Estimates of size range from
700,000 square kilometres (270,000 sq mi) (about the size of Texas) to more than 15,000,000
square kilometres (5,800,000 sq mi) (0.4% to 8% of the size of the Pacific Ocean), or, in some
media reports, up to "twice the size of the continental United States".[24] Such estimates, however,
are conjectural given the complexities of sampling and the need to assess findings against other
areas. Further, although the size of the patch is determined by a higher-than-normal degree of
concentration of pelagic debris, there is no standard for determining the boundary between
"normal" and "elevated" levels of pollutants to provide a firm estimate of the affected area.

Net-based surveys are less subjective than direct observations but are limited regarding the area
that can be sampled (net apertures 12 m and ships typically have to slow down to deploy nets,
requiring dedicated ship's time). The plastic debris sampled is determined by net mesh size, with
similar mesh sizes required to make meaningful comparisons among studies. Floating debris
typically is sampled with a neuston or manta trawl net lined with 0.33 mm mesh. Given the very
high level of spatial clumping in marine litter, large numbers of net tows are required to
adequately characterize the average abundance of litter at sea. Long-term changes in plastic
meso-litter have been reported using surface net tows: in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre in
1999, plastic abundance was 335 000 items/km2 and 5.1 kg/km2, roughly an order of magnitude
greater than samples collected in the 1980s. Similar dramatic increases in plastic debris have
been reported off Japan. However, caution is needed in interpreting such findings, because of the
problems of extreme spatial heterogeneity, and the need to compare samples from equivalent
water masses, which is to say that, if an examination of the same parcel of water a week apart is
conducted, an order of magnitude change in plastic concentration could be observed.[25]

In August 2009, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography/Project Kaisei SEAPLEX survey

mission of the Gyre found that plastic debris was present in 100 consecutive samples taken at
varying depths and net sizes along a 1,700 miles (2,700 km) path through the patch. The survey
also confirmed that, although the debris field does contain large pieces, it is on the whole made
up of smaller items that increase in concentration toward the Gyre's centre, and these 'confetti-
like' pieces are clearly visible just beneath the surface. Although many media and advocacy
reports have suggested that the patch extends over an area larger than the continental U.S., recent
research sponsored by the National Science Foundation suggests the affected area may be much
smaller.[25][26][27] Recent data collected from Pacific albatross populations suggest there may be two
distinct zones of concentrated debris in the Pacific.[28]
Photodegradation of plastics[edit]
Main article: Photodegradation

Washed up plastic waste on a beach in Singapore.

The Great Pacific garbage patch has one of the highest levels known of plastic particulate
suspended in the upper water column. As a result, it is one of several oceanic regions where
researchers have studied the effects and impact of plastic photodegradation in the neustonic layer
of water.[29] Unlike organic debris, which biodegrades, the photodegraded plastic disintegrates
into ever smaller pieces while remaining a polymer. This process continues down to the
molecular level.[30] As the plastic flotsam photodegrades into smaller and smaller pieces, it
concentrates in the upper water column. As it disintegrates, the plastic ultimately becomes small
enough to be ingested by aquatic organisms that reside near the ocean's surface. In this way,
plastic may become concentrated in neuston, thereby entering the food chain.

Some plastics decompose within a year of entering the water, leaching potentially toxic
chemicals such as bisphenol A, PCBs, and derivatives of polystyrene.[31]

The process of disintegration means that the plastic particulate in much of the affected region is
too small to be seen. In a 2001 study, researchers (including Charles Moore) found
concentrations of plastic particles at 334,721 pieces per km2 with a mean mass of 5,114 grams
(11.27 lbs) per km2, in the neuston. Assuming each particle of plastic averaged 5 mm 5 mm
1 mm, this would amount to only 8 m2 per km2 due to small particulates. Nonetheless, this
represents a high amount with respect to the overall ecology of the neuston. In many of the
sampled areas, the overall concentration of plastics was seven times greater than the
concentration of zooplankton. Samples collected at deeper points in the water column found
much lower concentrations of plastic particles (primarily monofilament fishing line pieces).[9]

Effect on wildlife and humans[edit]

Some of these long-lasting plastics end up in the stomachs of marine animals, and their
young,[5][32][33] including sea turtles and the black-footed albatross. Midway Atoll receives
substantial amounts of marine debris from the patch. Of the 1.5 million Laysan albatrosses that
inhabit Midway, nearly all are likely to have plastic in their digestive system.[34] Approximately
one-third of their chicks die, and many of those deaths are due to being fed plastic from their
parents.[35][36] Twenty tons of plastic debris washes up on Midway every year with five tons of that
debris being fed to albatross chicks.[37]
Besides the particles' danger to wildlife, on the microscopic level the floating debris can absorb
organic pollutants from seawater, including PCBs, DDT, and PAHs.[38] Aside from toxic
effects,[39] when ingested, some of these are mistaken by the endocrine system as estradiol,
causing hormone disruption in the affected animal.[36] These toxin-containing plastic pieces are
also eaten by jellyfish, which are then eaten by fish.

Many of these fish are then consumed by humans, resulting in their ingestion of toxic
chemicals.[40] While eating their normal sources of food, plastic ingestion can be unavoidable or
the animal may mistake the plastic as a food source.[41][42][43][44][45]

Marine plastics also facilitate the spread of invasive species that attach to floating plastic in one
region and drift long distances to colonize other ecosystems.[16] Research has shown that this
plastic marine debris affects at least 267 species worldwide.[46]

The United Nations Ocean Conference estimated that the oceans might contain more weight in
plastics than fish by the year 2050.[47]

Controversy[edit]
There has been some controversy surrounding the use of the term "garbage patch" and photos
taken off the coast of Manila in the Philippines in attempts to portray the patch in the media often
misrepresenting the true scope of the problem and what could be done to solve it. Angelicque
White, Associate Professor at Oregon State University, who has studied the "garbage patch" in
depth, warns that the use of the phrase garbage patch is misleading. ... It is not visible from
space; there are no islands of trash; it is more akin to a diffuse soup of plastic floating in our
oceans." In the article Dr. White and Professor Tamara Galloway, from the University of Exeter,
call for regulation and cleanup and state that the focus should be on stemming the flow of plastic
into the ocean from coastal sources.[48]

The US NOAA agrees, saying:

While "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" is a term often used by the media, it does not paint an
accurate picture of the marine debris problem in the North Pacific Ocean. The name "Pacific
Garbage Patch" has led many to believe that this area is a large and continuous patch of easily
visible marine debris items such as bottles and other litterakin to a literal island of trash that
should be visible with satellite or aerial photographs. This is not the case.

[3]

Cleanup research[edit]
In April 2008, Richard Sundance Owen, a building contractor and scuba dive instructor, formed
the Environmental Cleanup Coalition (ECC) to address the issue of North Pacific pollution. ECC
collaborates with other groups to identify methods to safely remove plastic and persistent organic
pollutants from the oceans.[49][50] The JUNK raft project was a trans-Pacific sailing voyage from
June to August 2008 made to highlight the plastic in the patch, organized by the Algalita Marine
Research Foundation.[51][52][53]

Project Kaisei, a project to study and clean up the garbage patch, launched in March 2009. In
August 2009, two project vessels, the New Horizon and the Kaisei, embarked on a voyage to
research the patch and determine the feasibility of commercial scale collection and recycling.[54]
The SEAPLEX expedition, a group of researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography,
spent 19 days on the ocean in August, 2009 researching the patch. Their primary goal was to
describe the abundance and distribution of plastic in the gyre in the most rigorous study to date.
Researchers were also looking at the impact of plastic on mesopelagic fish, such as
lanternfish.[55][56] This group utilized a dedicated oceanographic research vessel, the 170 ft (52 m)
long New Horizon.[57][58]

In 2012, Miriam C. Goldstein, Marci Rosenberg, and Lanna Cheng wrote:

Plastic pollution in the form of small particles (diameter less than 5 mm) termed
microplastic has been observed in many parts of the world ocean. They are known to
interact with biota on the individual level, e.g. through ingestion, but their population-level
impacts are largely unknown. One potential mechanism for microplastic-induced alteration of
pelagic ecosystems is through the introduction of hard-substrate habitat to ecosystems where it is
naturally rare. Here, we show that microplastic concentrations in the North Pacific Subtropical
Gyre (NPSG) have increased by two orders of magnitude in the past four decades, and that this
increase has released the pelagic insect Halobates sericeus from substrate limitation for
oviposition. High concentrations of microplastic in the NPSG resulted in a positive correlation
between H. sericeus and microplastic, and an overall increase in H. sericeus egg densities.
Predation on H. sericeus eggs and recent hatchlings may facilitate the transfer of energy between
pelagic- and substrate-associated assemblages. The dynamics of hard-substrate-associated
organisms may be important to understanding the ecological impacts of oceanic microplastic
pollution.[59]

The Goldstein et al. study compared changes in small plastic abundance between 19721987 and
19992010 by using historical samples from the Scripps Pelagic Invertebrate Collection and data
from SEAPLEX, a NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer cruise in 2010, information from the Algalita
Marine Research Foundation as well as various published papers.[60]

At TEDxDelft2012,[61][62] Dutch Aerospace Engineering student Boyan Slat unveiled a concept for
removing large amounts of marine debris from the five oceanic gyres. Calling his project The
Ocean Cleanup, he proposed to use surface currents to let debris drift to specially designed arms
and collection platforms. Operating costs would be minimal and the operation would be so
efficient that it might even be profitable. The concept makes use of floating booms, that divert
rather than catch the debris. This way bycatch would be avoided, although even the smallest
particles would be extracted. According to Slat's calculations, a gyre could be cleaned up in five
years' time, collecting at least 7.25 million tons of plastic across all gyres.[63] He also advocated
"radical plastic pollution prevention methods" to prevent gyres from reforming.[63][64]
Method, a producer of household products, markets a dish soap whose container is made partly
of recycled ocean plastic. The company sent crews to Hawaiian beaches to recover some of the
debris that had washed up.[65] Artists such as Marina DeBris use trash from the garbage patch to
create trashion, or clothes made out of trash. The main purpose is to educate people about the
garbage patch.

The 2012 Algalita/5 Gyres Asia Pacific Expedition began in the Marshall Islands on 1 May,
investigated the little-studied Western Pacific garbage patch, collecting samples for the 5 Gyres
Institute, Algalita Marine Research Foundation and several other colleagues, including NOAA,
SCRIPPS, IPRC and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. From 4 October 9 November 2012,
the Sea Education Association (SEA) conducted a research expedition to study plastic pollution
in the North Pacific gyre. A similar research expedition was conducted by SEA in the North
Atlantic Ocean in 2010. During the Plastics at SEA 2012 North Pacific Expedition, a total of 118
net tows were conducted and nearly 70,000 pieces of plastic were counted to estimate the density
of plastics, map the distribution of plastics in the gyre, and examine the effects of plastic debris
on marine life. [66]

On 11 April 2013, in order to create awareness, artist Maria Cristina Finucci founded The
Garbage Patch State at UNESCO[67] Paris in front of Director General Irina Bokova. It was the
first of a series of events under the patronage of UNESCO and of the Italian Ministry of the
Environment.[68] In 2015, The Ocean Cleanup project was a category winner in the Design
Museum's 2015 Designs of the Year awards.[69] A fleet of 30 vessels, including a 32 metres
(105 ft) mothership, took part in a month-long voyage to determine how much plastic is present
using trawls and aerial surveys.[69]

In 2016, plans are in the concept stage to create floating Oceanscrapers, made from the plastic
found in the Great Pacific garbage patch.[70] In June, The Ocean Cleanup project launched a
prototype boom, nicknamed Boomy McBoomface, off the coast of the Netherlands in the North
Sea, with the intention that if tests with the 100 meter prototype go well plans to develop a 100
kilometer long scaled up version that would then be deployed in the Pacific would go forward.[71]

See also[edit]
Ecosystem of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre
Indian Ocean garbage patch
Marine debris
North Atlantic garbage patch
Plastic particle water pollution
Plastic pollution
Plastisphere

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Retrieved 2012-10-12
61. ^ "How the oceans can clean themselves Boyan Slat at TEDxDelft". Retrieved 2012-10-24.
62. ^ "BOYAN SLAT: THE MARINE LITTER EXTRACTION PROJECT TEDxDelft". Retrieved 2012-10-24.
63. ^ a b "Boyan Slat Marine Litter Extraction (In Depth)". Retrieved 2012-10-24.
64. ^ "The Ocean Cleanup". Retrieved 2012-10-24.
65. ^ "Clean Your Hands and the Pacific". Retrieved 2012-10-12
66. ^ Sea Education Association. "Plastics at SEA North Pacific Expedition". Retrieved 2012-12-09.
67. ^ "The garbage patch territory turns into a new state United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization". unesco.org.
68. ^ "RIFIUTI DIVENTANO STATO, UNESCO RICONOSCE 'GARBAGE PATCH' SITI PATRIMONIO
ITALIANO UNESCO". rivistasitiunesco.it. Archived from the original on 3 November 2014.
69. ^ a b Robarts, Stu (August 25, 2015). "Ocean Cleanup project completes Great Pacific Garbage Patch
research expedition". www.gizmag.com. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
70. ^ "Plans for underwater 'oceanscraper' revealed".
71. ^ Neslen, Arthur (2016-06-22). "Dutch prototype clean-up boom brings Pacific plastics solution a step
closer". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-11-17.

Further reading[edit]
Oliver J. Dameron; Michael Parke; Mark A. Albins; Russell Brainard (April 2007). "Marine
debris accumulation in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands: An examination of rates and
processes". Marine Pollution Bulletin. 54 (4): 423433. PMID 17217968.
doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2006.11.019.
Rei Yamashita; Atsushi Tanimura (2007). "Floating plastic in the Kuroshio Current area,
western North Pacific Ocean". Marine Pollution Bulletin. 54 (4): 485488. PMID 17275038.
doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2006.11.012.
Masahisa Kubota; Katsumi Takayama; Noriyuki Horii (2000). "Movement and accumulation of
floating marine debris simulated by surface currents derived from satellite data" (PDF). School of
Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University.
Gregory, M.R.; Ryan, P.G. (1997). "Pelagic plastics and other seaborne persistent synthetic
debris: a review of Southern Hemisphere perspectives". In Coe, J.M.; Rogers, D.B. Marine
Debris: Sources, Impacts, Solutions. New York: Springer-Verlag. pp. 4966.
Moore, Charles G.; Phillips, Cassandra (2011). Plastic Ocean. Penguin Group.
ISBN 9781452601465.
Density of plastic particles found in zooplankton trawls from coastal waters of California to the
North Pacific Central Gyre Charles J Moore, Gwen L Lattin and Ann F Zellers (2005)
 The quantitative distribution and characteristics of neuston plastic in the North Pacific Ocean,
19841988 R H Day, D G Shaw and S E Ignell (1988)
Thomas Morton, 'Oh, This is Great, Humans Have Finally Ruined the Ocean', Vice Magazine,
Vol. 6, No. 2 (2007), pp. 7881.
Hohn, Donovan (2011). Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea. Viking.
ISBN 978-0-670-02219-9.
Hoshaw, Lindsey (9 November 2009). "Afloat in the Ocean, Expanding Islands of Trash". New
York Times. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
Newman, Patricia (2014). Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Millbrook Press. (Juvenile Nonfiction).

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Pacific Garbage Patch Smithsonian Ocean Portal

"Plastic Surf" The Unhealthful Afterlife of Toys and Packaging: Small remnants of toys,
bottles and packaging persist in the ocean, harming marine life and possibly even us by
Jennifer Ackerman Scientific American August 2010
Plastic Paradise Movie independent documentary by Angela Sun uncovering the
mystery of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch known as the Plastic Paradise
The source of the garbage patches, pictures
Irish Examiner article
Mega Expedition Departs Honolulu on YouTube
Midway, a plastic island on YouTube
Climate change, meet your apocalyptic twin: oceans poisoned by plastic. Public Radio
International. December 13, 2016
By 2050, the oceans could have more plastic than fish. Business Insider. January 27,
2017.

Coordinates: 38N 145W38N 145W

v
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Garbage Patch The

Great Pacific Garbage
Patch and other
pollution issues
The #1 resource for facts, pictures and videos about
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch and more!

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Home
Introduction
Pictures
Videos
Facts
 Solutions
Papers
Contact

Facts
Great you are looking for facts about Garbage Patches. Please read the introduction if you
like to know more about the phenomena of Garbage Patches.

Lets start with some impressive facts:

Garbage Island will likely double in size in the next ten years according Charles
Moore (scientist).
Scientist found plastic in 9% of Garbage Patch fishes
General plastic facts:
7 billion pounds of non recyclable plastic are produced every year
Scientific research showed that the chemicals in plastic have been found in
people living on Americas, Europe and Asia. This leads in some occasions in
limited or no possibility to reproduce (make babies)
7% of the plastic in the U.S. is recycled

If you are new to the subject, the following summary is made for you

There are many places polluted by garbage. Especially plastic is a major contributor
because it is not biodegradable. Over time plastic breaks down in small particles of just a
few millimeter. These small items of plastic is what people refer to if they mention garbage
patches or islands. The best way of visualizing The great Pacific Garbage Patch is to
imagine a big soup floating in the ocean like oil does. Areas that contain the largest
numbers of plastic are the ocean gyres. These are large systems of moving ocean currents.
In a systematic drawing you would see that the water is circulating like a vortex. All garbage
automatically goes to the middle and stays floating there.

Our planet has five major ocean gyres:

Indian Ocean Gyre which contains the Indian Ocean Garbage Patch
North Atlantic Gyre, which contains the North Atlantic Garbage Patch, equal to the
North Pacific Garbage Patch
North Pacific Gyre, for more facts about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, please see
below.
South Atlantic Gyre
South Pacific Gyre

An other know garbage patch can be found in the Mediterranean Sea. Some facts about the
Mediterranean Sea Garbage Patch:

250 billion pieces of plastic

Equal to almost 500 tonnes of trash.
 Most of the plastic particles found were microscopic, each weighing 1.8 milligrams or
less
These particles of micro-debris are smaller than 5 millimeters in size and are often
missed in coast clean-ups.

Here are the basic facts about the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch;

7 million tons of weight

Twice the size of Texas
Up to 9 feet deep
In the Great Pacific Ocean Gyre there is 6 times more plastic than plankton, which the
main food for many ocean animals
By estimation 80% of the plastic originates from land; floating in rivers to the ocean or
blew by the wind into the ocean
The remaining 20% of the plastic originates from oil platforms and ships
According scientist it is the largest plastic dump on earth; so plastic patches are larger
than waste dumps on land
Trash patches consist for 80 percent out of plastic
Scientific research from the Scrips Institution of Oceanography in California
U.S. shows that 5 to 10% of the fish contain small pieces of plastic.

Further reading that might be interesting for you:

http://garbagepatch.net/garbagepatchvideos/
http://garbagepatch.net/online-resources/ (great start if you like to write something
about this topic)
http://garbagepatch.net/solutions-what-can-you-do/ (please post here your ideas and
comments about cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and solving other
plastic pollution issues.
http://garbagepatch.net/papers/ (if you wrote something from small to large, please
share it here, and/or leave a thank you note)

If you have questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below. If you have an
additional fact or facts that you would like to share here; please share! Which fact from
the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch or plastic do you think is most shocking?

172 THOUGHTS ON FACTS

1. Darlene on January 27, 2012 at 4:54 am said:

Nice to read your blog

Reply
 omanu school on August 5, 2014 at 1:36 am said:

year i got some information from it but not much so not the best

Reply

Andr Craens on August 6, 2014 at 8:46 pm said:

Great comment! Thank you. What additional information would you (all who read this) like to
see?

Reply

Mindy on January 25, 2015 at 1:45 am said:

I would like to see some more information on how the garbage patches are progressing
when do we assume it will cover the earth and how we can help it. Great Blog though.

Reply

Anonymous on March 28, 2017 at 6:32 pm said:

Someone is already planning on cleaning it. It will definitely be cleaned by 2021. Do not
worry about it taking over earth.

Andr Craens on May 5, 2017 at 12:22 pm said:

2020 they aim to start. It will take decades if not longer. More info:
https://www.theoceancleanup.com/

Millie on December 20, 2015 at 3:34 pm said:

I would like to know how big it is! And what type of plastic is gathering there and is in the
fish!
But other than that it is a good blog and I enjoyed reading and studying this blog very much!

Reply
 Amanda on February 1, 2017 at 11:46 pm said:

There is a documentary about it on Netflix called Plastic Paradise that explains a lot, and
projected size, how and if we can fix it, etc.

Seventh Grader on March 24, 2017 at 6:01 pm said:

Twice the size of Texas. And there is no different types of plastic. All Plastic is made of
petroleum. Petroleum is oil if you didnt know. I hope this seventh grader here could help
you. Have a nice day maam.

HOLLY on February 25, 2016 at 7:49 pm said:

There is enough information to read here thank

u!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!

Reply

Peace_out_world on February 9, 2017 at 3:33 am said:

yeah! this is great! im going to make a video about this. PEOPLE NEED TO BE AWARE!

lkm, on March 8, 2017 at 8:49 pm said:

ok

Jessica A. on March 14, 2016 at 10:13 pm said:

Who created the North Pacific Garbage Patch?

Reply

ThatOneGeek on April 4, 2016 at 2:34 pm said:

The people throwing the trash in!!! DUH!!

 Ashton C. on April 21, 2016 at 7:10 pm said:

Actually That one geek. You are wrong. Most trash gets put in the ocean by waves or
currents that pick up the trash that we thrown or leave on the ground.

sunset kitty on May 9, 2016 at 9:32 pm said:

its horrible how people are treating the oceans these days.

Reply

Rebecca on August 11, 2016 at 9:16 pm said:

I highly agree.

Savannah Highnote on January 6, 2017 at 5:20 pm said:

I AGREE

Clairebear on July 4, 2016 at 6:15 am said:

Hey, great information found it really helpful but there is a spelling error you spelt waste
wrong you spelt it wast. its the eighth dot point on the pacific garbage patch

Reply

Andr Craens on July 5, 2016 at 8:48 am said:

Thank you. That is very kind of you to point out. Anyone who spots another spelling error?

KDS on May 2, 2017 at 9:22 pm said:

Clairbear: in the United States we spell spelt as spelled So, we could call you on a
misspelling, too.
 Ryan on October 18, 2016 at 6:00 pm said:

What will happen if we dont clen up the patch?

Reply

lol on January 20, 2017 at 4:05 pm said:

your spelling will get even worse XD

John on January 25, 2017 at 12:11 am said:

I think that having the amount of animals who die would be useful for some

Reply

Andr Craens on January 25, 2017 at 7:02 pm said:

Absolutely interesting to know. Fact is that if nothing will be changed, this can nr will grow
forever. I am pretty sure that also people die, because they eat sea animals containing
toxics from the plastics. Impossible to know how many, but I think all agree there is also
some harm to humans.

randomgirl 121 on October 13, 2014 at 10:18 pm said:

thanks

Reply

bo dallas on January 19, 2016 at 6:57 pm said:

that a great question

Reply
 lucian on March 15, 2016 at 4:06 pm said:

cool blog

Reply

Isaac on May 6, 2016 at 4:03 pm said:

How old is I the pacific garbage patch

Reply

i eat fat cats on July 14, 2016 at 11:57 am said:

it helped me with my geography

Reply

lol on February 8, 2017 at 4:01 pm said:

it helped me 2 and a lot in english

Reply

Angelina on April 25, 2017 at 7:43 pm said:

Me Too

you think I would actually tell u my name? on February 19, 2017 at 12:07 pm said:

Yesss same

Reply

scott on March 16, 2016 at 1:50 pm said:

 i love the blog

Reply

Concerned1 on November 22, 2016 at 2:39 pm said:

So why cant we stop the use of plastic? We can package liquids in glass that is recycled
and paper or cardboard which can be recycled burned or overtime broke down by moisture.
Why do we necessary need to use so much plastic?

Reply

Andr Craens on November 30, 2016 at 10:16 am said:

Good question! Your question eventually leads to money. Plastic is easy and cheap. If no-
one bothers, why change? If more people will challenge the status quo, like you do, change
will follow. And I am sure that we can all benefit from a plastic replacement.

Reply

sam on April 18, 2017 at 5:21 pm said:

thats right

Reply

jiawndhnefe on May 5, 2017 at 3:09 pm said:

yeah

Reply

John Smith on May 13, 2017 at 5:24 am said:

Conveiniance. Thats it

Reply
 adan on January 24, 2017 at 6:11 pm said:

no its not stop reading at 4 in the morning

Reply

2. Kayla .I Z on February 8, 2013 at 2:01 am said:

Omg ur blog helped me with my essay at school i wonder what grade im going to get!
Thanks!!!! You shine like the = Sun! Who wants my number ;P

Reply

Michael on July 22, 2014 at 8:10 pm said:

I am also thinking of doing a paper on a similar subject and Id like to read yours for more
direction if you would be so kind as to share it, if you still have it. we can swap e-mail to
send it to me if you can/will

Reply

Andr Craens on July 24, 2014 at 1:07 pm said:

Thank you for your comments and interest in this topic.

Unfortunately, I have no paper about this topic to give you. However, I know others have
written papers about this topic.
If you read this and you want to share your paper with people like Michael, please send me
a message and we will list your name and paper at this website.

Reply

jasmine on December 8, 2015 at 2:19 am said:

thanks it helped me too with my school assighnment

Reply
 Leo on April 20, 2016 at 5:42 pm said:

I want your number XD

Reply

3. admin on February 11, 2013 at 8:57 pm said:

Thank you for your comments. Great to read. I hope you had fun writing the essay and it
was received well.

Reply

4. EMILY BRAVO on November 18, 2013 at 9:56 pm said:

my project was impossible to do until I read your blog. I got an A+!!!! thank you so much. ;)

Reply

admin on November 19, 2013 at 2:36 pm said:

Hi Emily,

Youre welcome. I love to hear you have studied the topic of garbage patches this much!
Congrats with the A+; nice!
I also hope you will study countless other topics likes this to increase awareness about
these important topics.

Thanks,

Andr

Reply

5. manreet on November 21, 2013 at 1:04 am said:

 Thank you sooo much for the info. i really needed info for garbage island and i found it, this
info is better than wikis i rate u guys 10/10
BTW is garbage patch and garbage island the same thing???

Reply

admin on November 21, 2013 at 1:13 pm said:

Youre welcome! In my opinion Garbage Patch and Garbage Island are referring to a place
with a lot of waste. A lot of people Garbage Patch in combination with a location like Great
Pacific garbage patch.
Thank you for the compliment. Please spread the word :-)

Reply

royal on October 20, 2015 at 8:18 pm said:

me to i got a A+ on my report from your blog. malls

Reply

Amava on May 30, 2017 at 9:55 pm said:

Praying for the same!

Reply

johnny mathis on June 6, 2016 at 8:58 pm said:

yes

Reply

6. Green friend from London on December 14, 2013 at 5:05 pm said:

The Great Ocean Garbage Patch : A swirling sea of plastic bags, bottles and other debris
is growing in the North Pacific, and now another one has been found in the Atlantic and
many more small spots need the coast line. But the question we need to ask ourself is how
 did they get there? And is there anything we can do to clean them up? Awareness in blogs
like this one is really important to keeping raising the awareness. Probably the most
inspiring video I found about this topic is on http://www.thewritefture.org, with Captain
Moore the original discoverer of the Garbage Patch talking about the issue and the need for
action! Just in case you are not convinced yet for the need for action
(http://www.thewritefuture.org/2011/08/islandinthestream.html)

Reply

margaret bailey on October 7, 2014 at 4:32 pm said:

I think a lot of this garbage has come from all the sunamis washing all the debris back into
the ocean!!!

Reply

Andr Craens on October 21, 2014 at 10:29 am said:

Tsunamis certainly are not helping. What do you think of litter? Where do you think this
would end up when it gets into a creek or river?

Reply

7. malik on January 15, 2014 at 7:45 pm said:

good site

Reply

8. Nancy Mcgwire on February 4, 2014 at 7:03 pm said:

Thank you so much for writing this blog it really helped with my school project :)

Reply
9. Emily Winston on April 21, 2014 at 11:39 pm said:

I love this site!!!! It really helped me with my speech for school. I hope I get an A++!! Thank
you

Reply

admin on April 25, 2014 at 1:56 pm said:

Thank you for your comment and spreading the word. You have chosen a great topic that is
interesting, relevant for the society of today, new to many and can ignite good discussions.

Reply

10. Devon on May 12, 2014 at 7:47 am said:

Is there any pictures of the garbage patch? They say its as big as Texas and i want to see if
its true.

Reply

Andr on May 12, 2014 at 10:32 pm said:

Thank you! That is a great question. I made a special page for this: great pacific garbage
patch pictures, which explains completely how it looks like. It is often compared with twice
the size of Texas, but actually it is much worse. Please see the visuals at this page about
the Great Pacific garbage patch.

Reply

lolnope on June 2, 2015 at 11:27 pm said:

i got not alot of info about this, good blog tho

Reply
 mark .w on June 6, 2016 at 9:06 pm said:

it has doubled the size of texas

Reply

Amava on May 30, 2017 at 9:56 pm said:

I know LOL. So crazy! I wonder how many horses and ranches they can fit on the patch
LOL!!

Reply

11. awsome on June 9, 2014 at 11:13 am said:

really helped

Reply

12. Daniella Dominguez on September 26, 2014 at 1:40 am said:

thank you so much tou did my homework for me thanks sooooooooooo much :)

Reply

13. osmar on September 30, 2014 at 6:14 pm said:

wow this information is maybe the best for investigate abaut garbage island and how bad is
the garbage affect the ocean island

Reply

14. elizebeth on October 8, 2014 at 3:08 am said:

 i would like to thank you for posting this although it didnt help me with my homework and i
still dont know when it was and what parts of the world it actually is its a nice website and ok
infomation

Reply

15. MIneturtle123100 on October 20, 2014 at 3:45 pm said:

I think humans are the number one cause for Earths new problems. Do you know scientist
say if we keep this up we would need 10 Earths just to survive. That is a huge problem.

Reply

Andr Craens on October 21, 2014 at 10:26 am said:

Great comment! I have red several times that with the current circumstances there are 3
planet Earths required to sustain the demand. I can imagine this will add up to a multiple
Earths if consumption levels further rise. I think we can certainly say that this amount of
resources are solely a requirement for humans. It would be hard to justify to blame this to
another. By pin pointing the problem, you also give the solution: humans need to change.
This is not easy because humans have habits and they do not like to change their habits. I
think a large shift can be made when enough people are aware and changing their habits.

Reply

16. natasha price on October 23, 2014 at 3:07 pm said:

[removed]

Reply

17. natasha price on October 23, 2014 at 3:09 pm said:

sorry my little bro took my phone, i really like the information, it helped me out alot thanks !

Reply
 Andr Craens on October 24, 2014 at 8:29 pm said:

haha no worries. I am happy to read the story behind the spamming and last but not
least, you found what you were looking for. Great!

Reply

18. Sully on November 10, 2014 at 10:05 pm said:

Thanks so much for this webpage!! It helped me a lot with my school work!!

Reply

Amava on May 30, 2017 at 9:58 pm said:

Me too! Although you are writing this a couple years ago, I am writing it nopw and I need
moral support and no one willk give it to me.

Reply

Andr Craens on June 1, 2017 at 12:55 pm said:

Pause listening to your inner voice for a bit and just go for it. Only action leads to result! :-)

Reply

19. Erin on November 14, 2014 at 10:16 pm said:

I like this website. It gives you all of the facts at once instead of searching all over for them.
Thank you.

Reply

20. jaka on December 5, 2014 at 1:34 pm said:

 I would like to know in what amount, at what dept and in what shape are the fishing nets in
the pacific garbage patch. If there were driven there by the vortex-this means there are not
stuck to rocks or wreckso that means that they are easily extract-able from the sea than
the ones that are close to the cost and stuck on rocks?

Reply

Andr Craens on December 10, 2014 at 9:36 pm said:

Good question! If we are talking about plastic and equal produced materials, the shape is
the key to answer your question. The key issue is that this stuff does not fully decompose in
materials that can be used by nature. These materials brake in very small pieces, like
microscope level, but keep their chemical properties. I have heard about initiatives that
extract this stuff the sea. However, if you look to size and location, this is very costly. I also
wonder how tiny the filter need to be to get all those tiny parts out of the water. Although
these initiatives cannot hurt the real, fast and affordable, solution is to fully stop the use
plastic.

Reply

21. Tanner Hutto on December 5, 2014 at 6:55 pm said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBPgMpmibOg

Check this video, me and my science group made it for our class project regarding the great
pacific garbage patch. Sign the petition!

Reply

Andr Craens on December 10, 2014 at 9:37 pm said:

Thank you, you made a great effort! Where can people donate? There seems to be no link
with further information to go on Youtube.

Reply

22. junior on December 17, 2014 at 6:43 pm said:

 this is really interesting

Reply

23. tonda on January 14, 2015 at 4:25 am said:

omg thx so much this i used for my essay and i got A plus yay i am going to tell friends to go
here for essays

Reply

24. Hannah Han on February 19, 2015 at 4:16 am said:

Omg I helped me sooooo much!! Continue !! People like me need u in the worst possible
situations. u helped ussss ESPECIALLY ME! so much appreciation! !!

Reply

25. Autsin Beardemphl on March 10, 2015 at 5:59 pm said:

I dont really think this has to do with the Garbage patch. I mean it is good to know these
facts but how do i fix this problem. Should i call the GEF or something. THIS BLOG IS
SOOO COOL

Reply

26. Edgar on March 24, 2015 at 7:19 am said:

Thanks for the info, i really needed this for a project that I am doing.

Reply

27. Roainbow on April 9, 2015 at 5:09 pm said:

 Youre very smart

Reply

28. joe on April 21, 2015 at 2:13 pm said:

i agree

Reply

29. Jordan on April 29, 2015 at 10:57 pm said:

Thank you for the facts. When did The Great Pacific Garbage Patch first start forming and
how can we get all the trash out of it?

Reply

Andr Craens on May 1, 2015 at 10:48 am said:

Youre welcome. Good questions. To answer them I will give my view on the topic. The
Great Pacific Garbage Patch consist of plastic, and therefore you can say it is equally
started when plastics were introduced. There is no hard evidence, since no people have
been watching this area from the beginning. However, people always have been a bit
reckless with the garbage. After the mass introduction of plastic in the 20th century people
have been more and more using it. It all happened in a short period and that explains why
there are not plastic continents yet :-) Also the economic growth in the coastal areas in Asia
has significantly contributed to the amount of plastics in the oceans.
There is no working solution yet, but lots of ideas are already presented. One I have seen
several times: http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/How-the-oceans-can-clean-them-2
Key is that we stop producing (and buying) something that cannot be recycled by nature.

Reply

30. Bob on May 1, 2015 at 12:52 am said:

The great garbage patch is actually caused by the ocean currents moving all the trash in the
ocean and where the currents meet the trash piles up and started to build up over time and
 made the Great Pacific Patch we know today, and day by day it grows larger unless we do
something about it.

Reply

Andr Craens on May 1, 2015 at 10:34 am said:

You nail it!

Reply

31. Abby on May 4, 2015 at 3:47 pm said:

thank you so much!!! this helped me a lot on my report i needed!!

Reply

Andr Craens on May 6, 2015 at 7:40 pm said:

Would you like to share your report with others? Please check the papers section, and your
work can help many others!

Reply

32. Duanne bonta on May 4, 2015 at 10:50 pm said:

I have a suggestion on how to fix this problem but do not know where to start ,
1. Create a water treatment plant dedicated to to ocean water that can sift all of the plastic
debris
2 we would need a tanker ship that could make it to these spots that can vacuum the plastic
and water out of the ocean and deliver it back to land to be shipped via train to the water
treatment plants
3. Once the water has been treated it can then be returned back to the ocean .

Now I know this is not written very well as my grammar is not that great , but I think it is a
great way to extract the problem and work towards a real solution .

Reply
 Andr Craens on May 6, 2015 at 7:39 pm said:

Thank you for your suggestion. As you can imagine there are no quick solutions. So one
part of the solution is for sure preventing more pollution from plastic. Although we cannot
imagine a world without plastic, technical we have everything to replace it fast. For more
information you might like the Solution page from this website.

Reply

33. Fransicos on May 5, 2015 at 2:33 pm said:

me encantara que usted ponga una mejor informacin aqu acerca de otro lugar en el
mundo que tiene este aspecto.

Reply

34. Johaan on May 7, 2015 at 6:25 am said:

That helped me a lot for my Project!

Great Website!

Reply

Andr Craens on May 7, 2015 at 12:46 pm said:

Thank you! Also for you and others who read this; if you like to share your project outcome,
papers, etc, please leave a message at the contact page.

Reply

35. Martini lolz on May 11, 2015 at 12:27 am said:

thank you you helped me with my homework..

Reply
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37. kylie on May 20, 2015 at 2:33 pm said:

thx:)))

Reply

38. tyler bob on May 26, 2015 at 6:35 pm said:

i would like to know more about garbage pach

Reply

Andr Craens on May 29, 2015 at 6:11 pm said:

You are at the right place! Any specific topics you have in mind?

Reply

39. Madison Taylor on May 27, 2015 at 3:36 pm said:

Why do we have plastic islands?

And
How are thay effecting wildlife?

Reply

Andr Craens on May 29, 2015 at 6:18 pm said:

Great questions, I will give you some short answers:

Why: because humans are not able to keep/throw their garbage in the trash bins and
secondly because plastics cannot be recycled by nature.
How: bad in all kind of ways. For example, big pieces stay in the stomach and causes
 starvation. Or released chemicals from plastic end up in fish that (also) humans eat causing
health issues.

Reply

40. Frostflower AJ on June 1, 2015 at 2:34 am said:

Our economy is gonna be flooded with trash if nobody cares to clean it. I say we should find
a solution to this problem.

Reply

Andr Craens on June 1, 2015 at 7:34 pm said:

Absolutely! Please check the Solutions section of the website for more information.

Reply

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43. Ted Blomquist on August 11, 2015 at 1:56 am said:

This idea has been rolling around in my head for a couple of years, so its time to float it out
there and maybe start a discussion. Convert large ships to scoop up the plastic in the
oceans. Think LSTs from WWII. Separate living animals from plastic, then melt the plastic
into 6 X 12 X 2 blocks. The blocks, along with liquid nails (or a similar mastic) could be
used to build quick, easy and sturdy shelters for victims of natural or man made disasters. It
would take several years to have a significant effect, but I think it would be worth it. Get
some big players involved like the United Nations, billionaires, governments and a
whole fleet of ships could be funded.

Reply

Andr Craens on August 13, 2015 at 6:58 pm said:

 Great idea! Thank you. I have seen something similar where they use the harvest for
building roads (www.businessinsider.com/a-dutch-city-is-planning-to-build-roads-from-
recycled-plastic-2015-7)

Reply

44. Lily on October 12, 2015 at 11:46 pm said:

I think that this was very useful but skipped some details that I needed to know to fully
understand you, I read this for a report and you ended the topics to early for me, I was very
interested but then there was no more information. Thank you for reading my comment.
Very useful but it needs more not good for report.

Reply

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47. jj on March 30, 2016 at 6:08 pm said:

I need more info (facts) for my report

Reply

48. Coolness on April 19, 2016 at 3:23 pm said:

when was it created?

Reply

Andr Craens on April 19, 2016 at 4:13 pm said:

Good question. Plastic pollution came along with mass production of plastics in the 1940s
and 1950s.
 Reply

49. Amaya Morisch on April 26, 2016 at 4:24 pm said:

I am doing a project in school about this topic. I thought this blog was very helpful and
would definitely recommend it to others. :)

Reply

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51. Simon Green on May 3, 2016 at 6:53 am said:

Do you know if any animals live in the Garbage Patch?

Reply

Andr Craens on May 10, 2016 at 2:56 pm said:

The sea if full of all kinds of animals; from very small to big. They also live at polluted
places, including the garbage patches.

Reply

52. Simon Green on May 3, 2016 at 6:56 am said:

Or any sea life?

Reply

53. Shreyes Nallan on May 3, 2016 at 11:07 pm said:

Where does all this plastic come from? Is it mostly from plastic bags, bottled water, or some
other plastic product?
 Reply

54. Ricky Lipsey on May 4, 2016 at 11:02 pm said:

I would like to know about the garbage patch like how many aminals die and what they die
from and why this is important

Reply

Andr Craens on May 10, 2016 at 2:54 pm said:

A lot of animals die because they confuse the plastics for the food they normally eat. Their
bellies get full of plastics and eventually they die very slowly of starvation.

Reply

55. Dragon on May 4, 2016 at 11:07 pm said:

This blog was not the best. There are too many grammatical and spelling issues. The facts
are okay, but too brief to understand fully. More information would be appreciated.

Reply

Andr Craens on May 5, 2016 at 9:43 am said:

Thank you for pointing out. If you read this and would like to contribute in the
grammar/spelling, could you please leave a message at the contact page?
And, if you like to add facts, please share them. Thanks!

Reply

56. Blanca Muniz on May 4, 2016 at 11:41 pm said:

Add more details and facts

 Reply

57. Tracy on May 9, 2016 at 7:49 pm said:

Do scientists know what kinds of plastics are in the garbage patch?

Reply

Andr Craens on May 10, 2016 at 2:51 pm said:

Here you find some types of plastics found: https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/discover-

issue/types-and-sources
And here what was found where: http://www.marinedebris.engr.uga.edu/newmap/
Please share if you find more resources like this.

Reply

58. Raymond on May 16, 2016 at 12:14 am said:

I want to know where the research that is being pulled from. the best thing to see would be
reports of statistics, data analysis, or research from individuals who have been out to the
pacific garbage patch to analyze the particle amount along with estimated weight.

Reply

Andr Craens on May 17, 2016 at 6:56 pm said:

Good questions. At http://garbagepatch.net/online-resources/ you find some websites

containing detailed research reports.

Reply

59. Mr. SchoolComesFirst on May 16, 2016 at 1:27 am said:

HELPNG ME WITH SCHOOL SO MUCH THANK YOU!

 Reply

Thatoneguy on November 21, 2016 at 8:43 pm said:

same here bro

Reply

60. Selina on June 4, 2016 at 8:48 am said:

It was good but maybe, you could have added about what is the great pacific garbage
patch, and how was it formed, whats the problem with it, and what happens if we do
nothing.
Other than that this was cool????????

Reply

Aditi Jakilet on January 3, 2017 at 9:06 am said:

Yeah true

Reply

61. jordynlemire on July 21, 2016 at 10:00 pm said:

How does this effect humans? Why should we be helping? Thank you!

Reply

62. Forrest Funk on August 25, 2016 at 5:06 pm said:

Dear World. When I learned of the patch, I remembered something I was taught many years
ago. The ocean plankton was the primary converterof the CO2 to O2. I believe any layer of
trash on the ocean surface would retard or prevent that conversion, It is very likely cleaning
 up of the debre would solve much of our Climate Change. It would certainly make the fish
healthier.

Reply

63. Moodiline21 on August 30, 2016 at 9:41 am said:

you need more information like this

Reply

64. Randi on September 26, 2016 at 5:29 pm said:

Who is the author of this blog???

I need their name for my paper, because this is a VERY HELPFUL blog ????

Reply

Aditi Jakilet on January 3, 2017 at 9:04 am said:

It is very helpful blog I learnt so much too

Reply

65. Daniel on October 31, 2016 at 9:19 pm said:

how many garbage patches are there in the world?

Reply

Andr Craens on November 30, 2016 at 10:30 am said:

Depends the definition (of size), you can find a general answer at this page.

Reply
66. Thatoneguy on November 21, 2016 at 8:42 pm said:

I am in science right now and this helped so much with my assignment i also corrected my
teacher so everyone laughed over it

Reply

Admin on November 21, 2016 at 8:45 pm said:

Hi, Thatoneguy

Hopefully it was a real laugh

Reply

Andr Craens on November 30, 2016 at 10:18 am said:

Great story!

Reply

Jenna on January 4, 2017 at 10:44 pm said:

Dont feel bad, at least your smarter than the teacher!

Reply

67. James on December 3, 2016 at 2:53 am said:

When the ocean finally dies all the humans will die with it. How sad! We are the problem,
and we have the solution. Clean it up and recycle it before it is too late.

Reply
68. De'Avion on December 16, 2016 at 9:27 pm said:

I would like learn more

Reply

69. Generic Name on January 27, 2017 at 10:59 pm said:

This helped quite a bit for a brochure i was working on- i originally had it finished, but i lost
it.
Thank god friends exist, otherwise i wouldve gotten a 0 on it.. >->;

Reply

70. Ryan Zhao on February 15, 2017 at 4:13 am said:

whoa

Reply

71. Ryan Zhao on February 15, 2017 at 4:14 am said:

whoa thats amazing

Reply

72. maria oviedo on February 23, 2017 at 2:50 pm said:

this is helping me with science it awesome even though i am bad at it

Reply
73. Hannah H. on February 23, 2017 at 6:50 pm said:

This was very helpful for an AP English research paper of mine. Thank you.

Reply

74. CCK. CuteCuddlyKittens on February 26, 2017 at 5:30 pm said:

I would like to now more facts about the great pacific garbage patch

Please

Reply

75. Teagen Goldade on March 15, 2017 at 4:42 pm said:

I would love to know what the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is made of? Plastic bottles?
Fishing nets? etc. ( :

Reply

Andr Craens on March 16, 2017 at 8:47 pm said:

Those two, yes, and many other plastic items we often see around at places they should not
be. Like plastic bags, packaging, parts of cigarettes, balloons, and so on.

Reply

Andr Craens on May 5, 2017 at 12:23 pm said:

Correct; anything plastic/polymer in large junks or broken into smaller pieces.

Reply
76. Charlie on March 28, 2017 at 8:49 pm said:

Very informative.
Thanks for raising awareness about this.

Reply

77. Shanikwa Poop on April 14, 2017 at 9:52 pm said:

nice this hepled me cheat on a test :)

Reply

78. sam on April 20, 2017 at 12:04 pm said:

why use plactic this is sad

Reply

79. erin on April 21, 2017 at 9:58 pm said:

It helped with my assignment very much! But you should really add some more facts it
would really help!!

Reply

80. ryhfebgv on April 24, 2017 at 3:02 pm said:

maybe put a chart from this year to when it started what the diffrence was

Reply
81. SIS Agent Knowlton on April 26, 2017 at 11:52 am said:

I would like to know, how did the North Pacific Gyre cause the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Reply

82. Sterling Sorensen on May 3, 2017 at 12:06 am said:

This helped me with a brochure I had to make for school. Thank you for raising awareness!

Reply

83. QueenB on May 15, 2017 at 2:52 am said:

Is there an author for this article?

Reply

84. Hugo on May 15, 2017 at 9:52 am said:

I do think this is helping raise awareness! Great Job!

Reply

85. Doug Updegrave on May 25, 2017 at 5:46 pm said:

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch? This stuff has been documented for 45 years and
nobodys been able to make a dent in? Its either fake or everybody bitching about it does
nothing to actually minimize it. [admin edit]

Reply
 Andr Craens on June 1, 2017 at 12:59 pm said:

Quick comment: Many commons, like land, water and air are badly managed. There has
been (or is) a lack of international cooperation to manage these most valuable and essential
resources.

Reply

86. Polypro Recycling on May 31, 2017 at 2:05 pm said:

Thank you for sharing this information about this environmental disaster. It is important to
keep people informed!

Reply

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