Most people believe that this garbage patch (aka plastic continent) looks like what is in their trash bin. The picture in the article reinforces this misconception:
However, most of this plastic is actually so small and sparse that you cannot even see it. That makes cleanup really difficult.
From wikipedia:
> Disintegration means that much of the plastic is too small to be seen. In a 2001 study, researchers found concentrations of plastic particles at 334,721 pieces per km2 with a mean mass of 5.1 kg (11.3 lbs) per km2, in the neuston.
Most of the small plastics come from the breakup of large plastics. By removing large plastics floating on the top, you can (at least theoretically) prevent more small plastics from being made.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/20/great-pa...
However, most of this plastic is actually so small and sparse that you cannot even see it. That makes cleanup really difficult.
From wikipedia:
> Disintegration means that much of the plastic is too small to be seen. In a 2001 study, researchers found concentrations of plastic particles at 334,721 pieces per km2 with a mean mass of 5.1 kg (11.3 lbs) per km2, in the neuston.