Details

-Despite how the patches look, they aren't just islands of of larger pieces of trash. Microplastics make up most of these patches & blend with the other pieces.

-Microplastics cause the water to look soupy or cloudy.

-Since the Gyre moves circularly, once the trash gets moved to the center it becomes trapped

-80% of the debris comes from North American & Asian land-based activities.

-20% of the debris comes from boaters, off shore oil rigs, or cargo rigs dumping straight into the water.

-There are so many microplastics & other things made of plastic in these Garbage Patches because plastic isn't biodegradable, it just breaks down into smaller & smaller pieces

-The microplastics are also harmful to the marine wildlife. If mistaken for food, the microplastics can cause plastic poisoning or form blockages in the creatures' digestive systems.

Microplastics- tiny pieces of plastic between 0.3 and 5 millimeters in diameter

Biodegradable- able to decompose naturally