The Great Pacific Garbage Patch , the mass of rubbish floating in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and California , is 16 times larger than thought , and is actually twice the size of Texas , according to a study in Scientific Reports . As we previously highlighted , it is becoming a " plastic time bomb " and growing at such a rate that it is visible from space . The massive floating agglomeration of plastic debris between California and Hawaii is actually the size of three Frances. The study estimates that the patch covers 1.6 million sq km , and within that there are around 5000 tons of plastic . While global plastic consumption continues to grow , very little of it gets recycled .
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch , the mass of rubbish floating in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and California , is 16 times larger than thought , and is actually twice the size of Texas , according to a study in Scientific Reports . As we previously highlighted , it is becoming a " plastic time bomb " and growing at such a rate that it is visible from space . The study estimates that the patch covers 1.6 million sq km , and within that there are around 5000 tons of plastic . While global plastic consumption continues to grow , very little of it gets recycled .