25,000 pounds of trash pulled from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Floating trash pile between Hawaii and California estimated to be twice the size of Texas
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Cleanup crews have pulled 25,000 pounds of rubbish from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the largest ever removal of its kind.
The Ocean Cleanup removed the staggering volume of ocean trash over a four-week period and the non-profit environmental organisation’s vessels are now heading back to Victoria, British Columbia.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that it is difficult to get an accurate measurement as the patch is constantly moving.
But Ocean Cleanup says that the floating pile of trash situated between Hawaii and California is estimated to now be twice the size of Texas.
And it has now grown so much that a new coastal ecosystem is thriving upon it, according to a study published in April by Nature Ecology & Evolution.
The NOAA says that these kinds of patches are dangerous for marine life, which can become entangled in discarded fishing nets and eat plastics and other debris.
The group uses two vessels and a device that skims the water to remove the offending debris.
The system has a 1.4 mile long floating barrier which is towed between the two vessels. The barrier has a screen that drops 13ft beneath the ocean surface where most of the floating plastic can be found.
Alex Tobin, head of public relations and media for the organisation, says its goal is to remove 90 per cent of floating plastics from oceans by 20240.
“Our goal is to kind of put ourselves out of business,” Mr Tobin told ABC News. “We don’t want to be doing this forever and ever.”
The group says that ocean plastic comes from a string of sources, including lost and abandoned fishing gear, as well as consumer waste from rivers.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments