There are 17.6 billion pounds (8 million tons) of plastic that enters the ocean each year. This is the equivalent of a garbage truck being dumped in the ocean every minute. Plastic trash ends up all over the world on beaches, floating on the surface and miles deep on the bottom of the ocean's floor. Plastic recycling is not the only solution in helping to stop plastic waste. Only 9% of all plastic waste generated has been recycled.
An example is 'Plastic Island' that has formed by the plastic waste / trash. It has grown to the size of Texas located in the Pacific 900 miles west of the California coast. It’s large enough to be hazardous to navigation and to attract debris to grow.