A sea of rubbish twice the size of the United States has been found in the Pacific Ocean. The rubbish mainly consists of plastic products such as footballs, Lego and carrier bags, and is kept together by underwater currents. The rubbish stretches from 200 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan. The rubbish sits just below the water line therefore is not picked up in satellite photos.

Some have warned that more needs to be done to stop plastic debris being washed into our oceans and unless action is taken, the size of the rubbish expanse could double over the next ten years.

Plastics are a threat to both marine life and humans. Over a million seabirds and 100,00 marine mammals are killed each year from our plastic products. Seabirds have been found to have swallowed many different sorts of plastics from syringes to toothbrushes and cigarette lighters. The plastic can also cause man-made chemicals to enter the food chain and affect human health.

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