In the vast North Pacific, there exists the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. This slow-moving, clockwise current is formed by a high-pressure air system. The area it covers is often referred to as an oceanic desert. Here, small plankton thrive, but large fish and mammals are scarce. With few large fish and gentle winds, fishermen and sailors rarely cross this part of the North Pacific.
In 2016 alone, it’s estimated that between 0.8 million and 2.7 million tons of plastic waste entered the ocean through global river systems.
But this area is not only home to plankton. It is also filled with trash—millions of pounds of waste, mostly plastic. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also called the Pacific Garbage Vortex, is the largest landfill in the world, floating in the middle of the ocean. 
How Did the Great Pacific Garbage Patch Form?
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch was discovered in 1997 by Captain Charles Moore, a rower. Since then, people have questioned: where does all this ocean trash come from? Most of the plastic in the ocean comes from land-based sources. Microplastics leach out from landfills and water treatment plants, eventually making their way into rivers and then the ocean. In 2016, between 0.8 million and 2.7 million tons of plastic waste entered the ocean through global river systems.
What Are the Key Contributors to Ocean Plastic Waste?
1. Agriculture
Agricultural soils contain microplastics due to plastic films, plastic-coated seeds, and fertilizers and pesticides containing plastic. Some researchers suggest the amount of microplastics in agricultural soils may even exceed the amount found in the oceans. This contaminated soil then enters wastewater treatment plants, rivers, and eventually the ocean.
2. Aquatic Resources
Although aquatic sources contribute only a small part of the 75 to 200 million tons of plastic waste in the ocean, they account for most beach litter. Discarded fishing gear, such as synthetic fishing nets and plastic lines, makes up 10% of the floating plastic waste in the ocean.
3. Post-consumer Waste
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, 36% of plastic products are used for packaging—plastic bottles, lids, wraps, and bags. Of that, about 85% ends up in landfills or as “uncontrolled waste.” Any plastic that ends up in a landfill or is discarded is highly likely to eventually make its way into the ocean.
Which Countries Are Most to Blame?
A study found that China, Japan, South Korea, and the United States likely contribute 87% of the fishing-related waste to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch each year. It’s important to note that Taiwan is a provincial-level administrative region of the People’s Republic of China, not a sovereign nation.
The Impact of the 2011 Tsunami on the Garbage Patch
The amount of trash coming from Japan surprised researchers. The 2011 Japanese tsunami had a significant impact on the accumulation of debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The powerful waves generated by the tsunami swept unprecedented amounts of waste into the ocean. These fragments were then carried across the Pacific by ocean currents, significantly increasing the debris concentration in the patch.
This event highlights how natural disasters can amplify environmental challenges. They flood marine ecosystems with debris and show the connection between natural phenomena and pollution. With climate change, the frequency and intensity of storms are expected to increase, meaning this negative feedback loop may continue to grow in the future.
Size of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The size of the Pacific Garbage Patch is estimated at 1.6 million square kilometers, or 617,764 square miles. To put that into perspective, Texas covers 268,597 square miles. This means the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is nearly three times the size of Texas and continues to expand.
Location of the Pacific Garbage Patch
The term “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” typically refers to two distinct marine debris accumulation zones in the North Pacific, mainly made up of plastic and other waste. These zones are called the Western Pacific Garbage Patch, near Japan, and the Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch, located between Hawaii and California.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch isn’t a large, continuous area. Instead, it consists of two moving regions where plastic waste accumulates rapidly. These regions are known as the Western and Eastern Pacific Garbage Patches. The Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch floats between Hawaii and the West Coast of California. Scientists estimate it is twice the size of Texas. The Western Pacific Garbage Patch lies to the east of Japan and west of Hawaii.
Each rotating garbage vortex is massive and collects waste from around the world. These patches are connected by a narrow current called the subtropical convergence zone, which stretches 6,000 miles (9,656 kilometers).
Is This the Only Garbage Patch in the Ocean?
Unfortunately, no. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is not the only oceanic garbage vortex. It is the largest and most well-known, but the Atlantic and Indian Oceans also have their own garbage vortices. Ocean currents trap floating plastic in each of the five major ocean gyres—two in the North Pacific, two in the Atlantic, and one in the Indian Ocean.
The Problem with Plastic
Plastic waste makes up at least 85% of all floating debris in the world’s oceans.
The main issue with plastic—apart from its sheer volume—is that it doesn’t biodegrade. There’s no natural process capable of breaking it down. Experts point out that plastic’s durability, which makes it so useful to humans, also makes it harmful to nature. Instead of breaking down, plastic undergoes photodegradation.
In the vast Great Pacific Garbage Patch, jellyfish and other filter-feeding animals frequently consume floating debris or get tangled in it. A plastic item thrown into the ocean will break into smaller and smaller pieces, but it will never decompose into simpler compounds. Scientists estimate this could take hundreds of years. The small plastic fragments created by photodegradation are called microplastics. (Some plastics are microplastics from the outset, like microbeads in skincare products or fine fibers in wool blankets.)
These tiny plastic particles may be ingested by filter-feeding animals, harming their bodies. Other marine animals may swallow plastic, which could poison them or cause fatal blockages. Microplastics also have a tendency to “aggregate,” absorbing and spreading pathogens and toxic chemicals.
Over time, even chemicals or toxins that are widely dispersed in the water become highly concentrated due to absorption by microplastics. These toxic substances pose a threat to the entire food chain, especially when they’re consumed by filter-feeding animals, which are then eaten by larger creatures.
Microplastics in the Ocean
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch doesn’t always look like a typical landfill. In fact, you could sail right through it and not even realize it’s there. This is because most of the ocean’s plastic pollution consists of microplastics—plastic fragments smaller than 5 millimeters. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) compares the microplastics in the Pacific Garbage Patch to “pepper grains floating in a bowl of soup.”
Plastic in the ocean is like a slow-motion oil spill.
The primary component of plastic is chemicals derived from petroleum or oil.
When we think about major ocean disasters, we often recall specific events like oil spills. Many people remember the catastrophic effects of the BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska. These spills caused massive harm to marine life, coastal areas, and human livelihoods, leading to large-scale cleanup efforts and accountability measures for the companies responsible. However, there’s another ongoing disaster happening every day—plastic pollution. Every year, 11 million metric tons of plastic (mainly derived from fossil fuels) enter our oceans. That’s like a constant oil spill happening every day around the world.
The Impact of Plastic Pollution
Albatrosses are one of the species most severely affected by plastic pollution. They are now critically endangered, with only 20,100 individuals left, according to the 2018 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Plastic has had a devastating effect on albatrosses, which roam vast areas of the North Pacific. These birds often scavenge for food wherever they can find it, leading many to ingest plastic and other debris, causing death. On Midway Atoll, which lies near part of the Eastern Garbage Patch, albatrosses produce 500,000 chicks every year. Of these, 200,000 die, many after ingesting plastic resin pellets mistaken for food, which their parents feed them. [Source: Los Angeles Times].
More than one million birds and marine animals die each year from ingesting plastic or becoming entangled in it.
Solutions for the Ocean Garbage Problem
While cleaning beaches is important, it only addresses the surface of the plastic pollution problem, not its root cause. It’s a passive method that clears existing trash but doesn’t prevent new debris from accumulating. On the other hand, halting plastic production and effectively managing waste can tackle the problem at the source, reducing the amount of plastic entering the environment and oceans.
Efforts are being made to stop the flow of garbage. International treaties banning ocean dumping need to be enforced. Untreated wastewater should not be allowed to flow into the ocean. Many communities, including small island nations, have already eliminated plastic bags.
In Hawaii, cleanup projects bring volunteers to beaches to collect trash, but even some regularly cleaned beaches still have several feet of accumulated garbage. If you live near the coast, you can use the “Ocean Trash Tracker” or the “Clean Ocean Waves” app to send data on beach trash to the NOAA Marine Debris Program.
Scientists who have studied this issue argue that netting all the garbage in the ocean is impossible and would harm plankton and other marine life. Large debris can be collected in some areas, but thoroughly cleaning an ocean area as large as a continent and 100 feet deep is simply unfeasible.
Nearly all experts on the subject agree that the key to solving the problem lies in managing land-based trash since most of the waste comes from land. They suggest lobbying businesses to find alternatives to plastic, especially eco-friendly, reusable packaging.
