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The ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ or ‘Trash Vortex’ which is a build-up of plastics in the seas and believed to be about 100 million tonnes of floatsam, is now growing at an alarming rate. Scientists believe that it now covers an area twice the size of the United States. About one-fifth of the junk – which includes everything from footballs and kayaks to Lego blocks and carrier bags – is thrown off ships or oil platforms and the rest comes from land.
