Trash Island: Is It a Myth? | The Ocean Cleanup

Trash Island: where is It? How big is It? If it's three times the size of France, why can't it be seen from space? Direct from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, our researchers answer your questions - and explain why there is no ‘trash island’ in the Pacific. Subscribe to our channel to stay updated: bit.ly/371k8sN
Helen and Laurent were in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch on Ground Truth Expedition (July 2022), aiming to confirm the efficiency of our remote sensing techniques. Learn more about this expedition here: • Our Latest Research Ex... .
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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:50 Isn't there a floating island of trash somewhere in the middle of the ocean?
01:34 If the garbage patch is three times the size of France, why can't we see this continental-sized plastic island?
02:53 Why can't we just throw all the trash into a volcano and have it turn into lava?
03:41 How does plastic end up in the ocean if someone leaves it on the street or forest?
05:49 How does the density of plastic in this area (Great Pacific Garbage Patch) compare to any other area in the ocean?
07:20 Why are there no satellite images of the 'plastic island'?
08:28 What are we doing about this island of trash?
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[@lkelly4337]

You two did a perfect discussion in this video. Please do more. I have sailed thru several garbage patches and the sadness that over comes you is shocking. It makes you realize how small our plant is...

[@mattheweanfeldman]

I learned a lot, thanks! I always thought the garbage patch was more visible

[@fuzybear15]

Questions for the team: Have you studied much of the waste that has sunken deeper into the Ocean? What percentage is at the surface? Or percent at X depth? Are there other groups that are helping in your effort, or want to expand to other parts of the world with your cleanup? How many countries or communities have signed up for a Interceptors? Much love

[@Jaradis]

A video I saw recently said 70-80% of trash is on the bottom of the ocean.

[@pan6593]

@@Jaradis a source would help.

[@basvantklooster8670]

I've heard multiple times that around 30-35% is at the surface source is at the moment trust me bro but when I'm done with work I will find a paper

[@JP-uk9uc]

@@Jaradis 🤦‍♂️

[@martijnkoning6564]

Microplastics are the biggest problem because its slowly kills sealife without them being able to avoid it, its why their cleanups for the ocean aren't effective, one could even argue that its not effective enough how they stop plastic waste from river as it doesn't stop the microplastics from getting into the sea/ocean

[@Nekr0n35]

Very glad for this video. I often discuss this with people who have critical thinking. It is hard to explain them why this process is important. I am glad you picked up these comment questions, I feel like I've seen them a million times now. Lets hope people with these questions will stomble over the video. I know I will use this the next time I see them again asking. It also helped me understand it even better. Thank you very much for this very chill vibe video without much fancy music or close up drone shots. Made it much more authentic!

[@tiro0oO5]

Yes, the stile is very good

[@socialweedia]

are you also lobbying to ban plastic production/petrochemical industry?

[@smallfootprint2961]

I have almost no trash on trash day. I try to buy mostly unprocessed, unpackaged foods. I'm not a zero waste person, but I'm doing better than I used to. Videos like this help keep the problem in front view, but it is a drop in the bucket. Makes me feel better to know that I'm doing my part. It will always make things better to eat plant based, and grow as much as possible. Even a tomato plant in a window will help. I watch the teams on Namibia capturing the seals to get the fishing lines, ropes, and other trash which are choking the animals, off them. It's very easy to see the damage done to sea life.

[@leika2589]

Almost no trash is a flex. I’m going to try and work on that! I’ve been vegan for 9 years and try to eat from my local produce stand as much as possible but I definitely produce a lot of trash 😳

[@freudsigmund72]

Interesting to hear these questions answered. I would be interested to know if The Ocean Cleanup has ever been into contact with Ocean Conservation Namibia. The latter being an organization focussed on the immediate effect the ocean trash has on the marine life (mainly seals).

[@AshLeeeeee]

Yesssss good callout! I'd love to see a collaboration too!

[@jenaemarieAZ]

Agreed!! They are selling bracelets & key chains now made out of the nets.

[@brandonb1333]

Been following for a long time, and I'm finally asking about things I haven't yet heard addressed. Two questions: what, if anything, is the Ocean Cleanup doing about microplastics, and are you studying how to get plastic that is not close to the surface? Thanks for the great work guys, Boyan and your whole team are such an inspiration!!!

[@chrismccaffrey8256]

Microplastic are now not currently possible to remove from waterways or life forms on scale large enough. Certain biological life forms have been shown to eat microplastics. How far this research has gone/will go, I do not know.

[@ginnachen7157]

Questions 1) How do big fish swim in and out of the nets? How are we ensuring we are not catching fish? 2) What has been the most interesting/strange/scary things you have caught outside of plastic?

[@christophkogler6220]

The nets are SLOW and only go a few feet deep. They keep from catching fish by moving at just-above-current speeds. Anything alive can just swim down and out.

[@ColeB-jy3mh]

If they catch fish it’s a bonus because they gotta pay for this expensive process somehow lol

[@stevenabel1232]

I appreciate what the Ocean Cleanup is doing. Thank you.

[@KyleB_RCR8]

Thank you all for your commitment to cleaning up the earth, beaches and especially Oceans! We are greatful!!

[@theendoftheworld9921]

I really appreciate you guys taking the time to ask these absolute nematoad questions. Even though they are basic they are important to understand

[@extraclip]

What are the plans, goals, dates etc for the river cleanup deployments and convincing governments to make them standard practice? Thanks.

[@onelovemon1784]

I am in awe of the workers involved in these projects. This is revolutionary

[@KnightSlasher]

We all hoped it was a myth but hopefully with your guys amazing efforts it will become one

[@KenRobinsonchannel]

Well since plastic straws are now illegal the problem is solved.

[@akeem2983]

@@KenRobinsonchannel Plastic staws are FAR from being the only common type of plastic waste

[@vinjulieann1]

I pick up trash around a park and golf course - 3 mile block. The plastic fast food drink lids and straws seem to be the quickest disintegrating plastics. The sun exposure is breaking it up into particulates. . . even found in fish.

[@iraitzacho]

Thanks to all Ocean Clean up Team! You are doing and amazing job.

[@jetstreek17]

I love what you guys are doing, and what the company stands for. Please continue the incredible work you're doing. I wish I could be a part of it.

[@Laiynnalaiynna]

More of this, please! This is super interesting! Keep up the good work, you are amazing :)!

[@oneoldmanontheroad9034]

I love the way your tackling both the cleanup and source. Great explanation as well. Could you use various light wavelength signatures to detect the plastic concentration from space? Similar to the way they detect the composition of exoplanets using telescopes etc.

[@KenRobinsonchannel]

Idk I’m late for my shift at Chilis

[@badcat4707]

Good morning Ocean Clean up 👋 In this video you mentioned that the Pacific garbage patch is just 1 of 5 !😿 garbage patches , where are the other 4 ? and do you have plans to attack those ones as well ? or is there other organizations that are working on them already ? or is there plans to co-ordinate with other groups to clean them up as well ? AllFather bless you all for helping to clean our Home planet 🙏🙏🙏😻😺

[@KenRobinsonchannel]

One in every major ocean and 2 on the moon.

[@veejay2901]

One of the most value adding activities in the world. Thank you.

[@briancarter9927]

Obligatory like & comment bc we all appreciate your efforts ❤

[@andrearossi7533]

Thank you, for your support and clear explanations. You all are doing a very good job, even on rivers. I will share your videos to aware people about ocean situation. Thank you again! Good job.

[@kentcheong6790]

Thank you to the Ocean Cleanup Team and it's partners.

[@trickyricky2903]

Outreach is so important guys, keep up the great work!

[@georgef1176]

I love all the crews at ocean cleanup! Thank you!!

[@herbiegoller]

Great job, I love what you guys are doing, I'm a diving instructor here in Bali, and my impression of the plastic in the water is already getting much better than a couple of years ago! But for sure we have to work on the source where it comes from!

[@danastovall9723]

Stop talking green house gasses and global warming it's a myth, and bullshit

[@gup8175]

Incentive buy backs for fishermen to bring their worn out gear back to be properly disposed of. It is a death trap for all marine life to just throw it overboard. Stop using single use plastics! Buy bulk with re-usable containers and bags, it's easy! Thanks for all you do!!! ☮

[@nangel270]

Very informative. Thank you for it, and for your ongoing efforts.

[@mobilechaosyt]

How much plastic do we believe has settled to the bottom of the ocean? What is the impact of all the heavy metals in the ocean especially the ships or airplanes that were sunk?

[@jerryarcher1923]

Y’all are doing a great job, thank you.

[@keving2726]

What is the smallest size piece of plastic that you are capturing, and what percentage of plastic by volume do you think you're capturing? Is the environmental danger from microplastics worse or better than the danger of burning that equivalent amount of material? Are there ways to process the products of combustion to mitigate that danger, such as through plasma gasification?

[@TakingtheTRASHOUTwithAaron]

Plastic Stew! We need to fix our storm drain systems and treat the storm water before it is released into nature, that would cut back a lot of the land based pollution problems. It will not solve ALL the issues but it would have a big impact. What The Ocean Cleanup is doing and researching is very important. Thank You !!!

[@timothyball3144]

Yes, that is a developed nation solution, but in many places, they don't have the infrastructure to dispose of waste, let alone treat the water systems.

[@TakingtheTRASHOUTwithAaron]

@@timothyball3144 I live in Northern California and in my city the trash and toxins from the streets flush straight into the environment no filters or safeguards and we are supposedly developed. I think it is crazy. It takes a lot of work removing garbage from nature. You are right though!

[@SG-xt9bh]

Doing a great job. Keep up the good work.

[@ManOfSteel1]

you need to stop the outflow of plastic. make corporations collect their plastic packaging or change plastic to recyclable material.

[@Nekr0n35]

"make corporations" it's not easy to simply "make" them do these things. The world in driven by money, they need a motivation to change. If not by the society that pressures them, then political change or buisness model where they get income by helping the cleanup process. These topics are very complex and often needs lots of organisation. One thing for sure, I am glad you express the will to make a change with your comment. I hope that others will be motivated by it too and when they have the chance to make a change by voteing or influce political persons, to then do that. Thank you.

[@gergc4871]

Just like my plastic bag labeled recyclable but my recycling company (California) says no plastic bags in the bin.

[@jaxnaturals]

If I wasn't tied to life where I'm at, I would love to volunteer and work on this project. We, the ocean and the planet, thanks for all you do

[@gy2gy246]

Maybe you can you send a donation at their website.

[@liocliff]

Thank you so much for what you are doing!! You're the best!! Thank you for saving our planet. Thank you for your humility. Thank you for teaching people about the actual situation of our oceans. People like you guys, The Ocean Cleanup, Mossy Earth, Ecosia, and so many more, you are literally saving our planet for you, for us, and for the next generations. People like you today, are as much important as doctors, and firemen. You are our planet's doctors and firemen. "You are heros". So a very big thank you. Lionnel

[@melaniem9433]

👏👏👏💖💖💖👏👏👏🙏🙏🙏Thank you all SO MUCH for our cleaner future with less animal suffering!👏👏👏 i sure wish i could do a round on one of your boats!👏👏👏

[@jugamath]

This is great work and a great explanation of many aspects of this issue. I suppose that there is so much plastic in the ocean that your work is more about measuring the problem than actually cleaning up a large percentage of the plastic debris. Are there reliable sources that estimate the amount of large, small and micro plastics in the oceans to within some orders of magnitude?

[@steven.h0629]

Helen and Laurent .. thank you for all you do.

[@DYoung-vt8pq]

Thank you for what you are doing! When my family goes canoeing & kayaking, we collect trash. We always have several bags full when finished. It's sad.

[@Furyous96]

These people need more support! They are doing actual work to help instead of just whining and nagging ‘greta’

[@GORT70]

Cleaning up the canals and rivers is hands down the best thing we can do, and it’s MUCH easier to act on.

[@filip1408]

The work you guys do is simply beyond words. And to talk about the gravity of the situation while also dismissing the narrow minded beliefs that there’s an actual island. My hat goes off to you! Merci beaucoup et Bonne chance!

[@suejackson2566]

there are companys out there which are able to raffinate the plastic back to oil. so in this case we could use it as fuel and so on. like having a cradle to cradle plastic. or some geoengeniering where the polecaps melting i find the idea interesting to make plasticicecubes or platforms to reflect the sunlight.

[@theogarnier7309]

We need to stop using oil, so no, we don't want to invest in companies or technologies capable of raffinate plastic back to oil.

[@MrMichiel1983]

@@theogarnier7309 Actually we will never stop using oil, it's in so many products. Much more then we realize. Therefore, we must certainly invest in recuperation technology. All that plastic waste is worth money and can be harvested more sustainably than fossil oil.

[@CeleGiardinelli]

Thank you so much for this video. It cleared out MANY of my questions

[@sofped]

Thank you for the video. It is very clear and informative. I will use it for my students!

[@mattifaehrtmoped]

Thanks for the Q&A. I have a question: What happens to the garbage you collect? Where and how is it disposed of?

[@mydnasample]

Clear information on a issue of great concern. Thanks guys.

[@plantbasedstrength8590]

Great content! Sending love from Colorado 💙

[@stuartsmith9934]

Excellent work guys please keep it up ❤

[@keithwhite5657]

Amazing work ocean cleanup 👍😊

[@elibaker1907]

I love the work you guys are doing, pls keep it up! Ive always wondered, what do you do with all the refuse you collect?? Pls make a video on thay subject 🙏

[@tubehound8]

Thankyou Ocean Cleanup. Stay safe

[@timbershadow1]

You guys are awesome thanks for all your hard work!

[@stopscammingman]

I really admire how good OC is at avoiding embellishments for the sake of promoting their narrative and instead put in the effort to justify their great work on its own terms.

[@john_p]

This is an awesome project and I love what you're doing! :)

[@lordandreus208]

In the "Transition to System 03" video you talked about a big problem you were facing: plastic going over the floats. Did you solve it? And how? Can you tell us which solutions were taken into account and why you chosed one over the others? I'm curious because I had an idea on how to solve it pretty quickly but since you said it wasn't an easy problem to solve for many people, I'm sure it was because I didn't take into account a lot of things. Great job btw, your work it's truly inspirational.

[@eyemallears2647]

Awesome job. What I love about your work is that a person doesn’t have to be convinced about “climate change” to agree that trash floating in the ocean is a bad thing. Thank you for all your work!

[@charlottep2929]

Thank you for this video and for your amazing work! I am new here and I have few questions (sorry for my bad English and if you already answered these in other videos/posts) : Don't you catch some fishes (small or bigger) with the systems you are using? I have heard about small plastic particles at the bottom of the oceans: do your systems collect them? Is you collecting/stopping capacity bigger than the "pollution capacity"? Thanks for your answers!

[@raeroberts-db9qk]

Thank you for all your efforts to cleanup our oceans and rivers. Are there any more items that have been developed and manufactured from the plastics , such as the sunglasses? Where can you order a pair of the sunglasses or are they not manufactured anymore?

[@theKirkman]

How do you seperate the fish from the plastic as you extract the plastic from the ocean ? You are doing an awesome job !!

[@robertcaputo8168]

Cool video! Thanks for your hard work!

[@merynfell7706]

Loved listening and learning 🩵

[@simplestuff3895]

Are there still plastic fragments that are smaller than the net holes? Would this be a future target if so? Absolutely fantastic video, which was very informative. Keep up the great work, Thank you 🙏

[@rasmus5341]

Yes, there are. Arguably a huge percentage is microplastics, plastic particles and just tiny pieces. These gets eaten by fish and stuck in corals. So while the big plastic table may seem worse (because we can physically see it), it does less harm since no animals eats it and it does not integrate with minor seaweeds etc. The issue is when this table starts to disintegrate into smaller pieces. So yeah, the smaller the worse

[@trull122]

I read today: a new study published in the Nature Ecology & Evolution journal found thriving communities of crabs and anemones, living on plastic debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Many of the species have been able to survive and reproduce on the plastic that’s been floating in the ocean for years.

[@Trixtah]

yeah, and many species ingest the plastic and die. Crabs and anemones managed to evolve and exist fine for millions of years without disgusting garbage in the water.

[@Trixtah]

yeah, and many species ingest the plastic and die. Crabs and anemones managed to evolve and exist fine for millions of years without disgusting garbage in the water.

[@MidCenturyModernAdventures]

Are there any estimates on how much is added to the patch on a daily basis versus how much is removed by this system?

[@zoeamaster]

I see that your clean up system relies on two large vessels to tow the boom around. I'm working on a more passive design, using mostly the same natural forces that gather the plastics in the gyre. It has shown promising results in preliminary testing.

[@solarenergynow08]

Great work! Thank you. What are you considering for plastic that is too small (in a mm scale) to catch with the nets, ? or plastic that is already in the process of degrading.

[@functionalvanconversion4284]

Educational! We on land need to really consider the purchases we make.

[@Patriotamineiro66]

The organizers and everyone on this project, so to speak, are great, fantastic mission, looking after our grandchildren's future. 👏👏👏👏👏👏Congratulations. Ivomar 🇧🇷

[@charliebreitenmoser696]

i love your videos keep up the good work!

[@milesj6064]

You guys are doing an awesome job coming up with ways to clean up the oceans and rivers, and also in educating the public in what the plastic waste is doing to our ecosystem. I know you mentioned about how burning the plastic would create CO2, but with technology we should be able to find ways with solar heating to concentrate the heat of the sun and also break down the plastic, I have read about a microbe that is able to eat plastic, so maybe we need to create a fake pond and have a lot of these microbes to eat the plastic, just not sure what their byproduct is after eating plastic. Anyway keep up the good work, I have followed Ocean cleanup for years.

[@Trixtah]

There are multiple microbes people are working on, but what they want is something that can be controlled. We don't want something out there that will eat the plastic we're trying to use. At least one of them uses a process that requires the microbes to work in fairly high heat (I think over 40 deg?) and with some extra additives to get them working. So they're working on designing a big "cooker" for these microbes to digest plastic in a sustainable industrial process. It's all in the lab so far.

[@anoopkv2000]

Question: at the pace at which its been dine now, how long will it take to clean up the garbage patch

[@intsccents]

What a great question and answer video such great things the ocean clean up is doing and education is also a big part of it... thank you...

[@SophiaAphrodite]

People need to just realize this has been a decades long creation so it will take decades to clean up. Even with all these brilliant systems being used. It just takes time.

[@Trixtah]

And it won't be cleaned up at all until we stop producing so much unnecessarily and failing to recycle the stuff we actually need to use. I didn't see plastic packaging of food become ubiquitous until the late 70s - bread was in waxed paper, soft drinks was in glass bottles, etc - so it hasn't been that many decades to cause this disaster.

[@barbarakamiyama6643]

How do you dispose of the garbage you pick up from the ocean? And are there similar garbage patches in other oceans?

[@violetlight8138]

Question: I noticed some of these little hunks appear to have life teaming around them. What happens to those fish? And is there a way to make another floating habitat for them?

[@obiwanbenobi4943]

I'm always amazed by how much life I see in these videos.

[@thomasvrieze527]

What's current production do you think you'll have the GPGP cleaned up? And how many river projects are currently operational, plus what the number of units would you like to have in place? Safe travels

[@jenaemarieAZ]

Quite an excellent presentation!

[@NorthwestCatch]

The dry creeks or Arroyos in Cabo San Lucas are lined for miles and miles with trash. Once a year or every couple years during a large rain event the local dump gets cleaned out to the ocean. I was on a side by side ATV and could not believe the amount of trash I saw. It never stopped and dozens of people adding to it every hour by the truck load

[@mrharry8466]

Thank you for helping the world. The world needs you to upscale by 1000% ....so how? Are countries pouring money into "The Great Ocean Clean Up" ? THEY ALL SHOULD BE. Every country on the planet should have a plastic TAX.

[@stopscammingman]

This was really good communication.

[@habitantedelatierra]

Thanks you so much! Amazing job!!

[@FruchtcocktailUndCo]

How about plastics that dont float, but sink to the ground or deeper into the sea?

[@theoceancleanup]

We focus on the floating fraction of plastics. Since most of it is located between the surface and a depth of two meters, the cleanup system is designed to clean up only the plastic which is located in this upper layer of the water column. System 002 is equipped with a retention zone, and screen that extends 3 meters deep.

[@FunkAssassin-bm8lg]

Great info! Thank you!

[@miker2585]

Snorkeling for 2 weeks in Bali, beautiful water, but certain times on certain days, large amounts floating plastic trash would start floating in. I doubt that the amount I put in my pockets to take in did much good... keep up this great endeavor. Thank you

[@paumason]

son unos genios!!! muchas gracias por hacer este trabajo!!! los admiro. Una pregunta, junto con todo ese plastico que levantan, no se quedan pegados peces ?

[@Suburp212]

This is a perfect video. Thank you.

[@Dawson-vy3zw]

A discussion about people just not throwing garbage anywhere but proper places like trash cans is what’s needed

[@ethanmoore9041]

Awesome to hear from u guys 💯

[@resabape]

This is a very unfortunate and commendable chore you have taken on. The fact that we have plastics making it into our local water sources which take much of it to larger bodies of water tells me that the solution starts on the home front. Most of us have little idea what happens to the plastic waste we generate (cradle to grave), and how is it managed throughout.

[@wendypeterwendywendy]

Really interesting Q&A. thanks. Watching the video, I see there are lots of small fish caught with the plastic. Do they have an escape route?

[@catweazlemagic7483]

For those wanting to find out more about those ocean gyres please all about it in; Flotsametrics & The Floating World by Curtis Ebbesmeyer and Moby Duck by Donovan Hohn

[@pleasejustdobetter]

So helpful for you guys to take the time to answer questions. I have wondered why these fishing nets arent equipt with some sort of tag, to know who they belong to. I mean you aren't supposed to litter on land, why is it allowed in the oceans, we know by now how distructive this is. Don't these fisherman want to be able to have fishing opportunities in the future, maybe try to help keep the ocean clean. When you guys solve this issue, can you start pulling out all the shipping containers that also litter our oceans. While I get that its not on purpose it still should be cleaned up. Thanks for caring about our oceans!

[@Yelonek1986]

Thanks for the presentation, very informative. At one moment I started to feel like I'm watching Seth MacFarlane and John Krasinski and now I can not unsee it. 😵

[@johnevans6399]

Thank goodness for people like you. ⛵

[@wolfman3295]

I am completely stunned by this video! The great pacific garbage patch has been well documented for years and it has been estimated to be the size of Texas!! So yes it has existed and does exist!

[@gergc4871]

Lol.

[@letsfish808]

I don’t know if you noticed but when your on a airplane you can see all the trash over the ocean cause I live in hawaii and I went to lasvegas and the whole way there I seen trash in the deep ocean very confusing and concerning this is sad to see… the trash needs to be clean take a sec and clean a beach