Across The World

Our Shared Problem

First world countries typically hide their trash well. We dispose and forget. Not everyone recycles, reduces consumption, or seeks out reusable products. We rarely will refuse disposable plastics, and we don't repurpose what we have to give it a second life.

Sadly, too much of our garbage finds its way to the ocean. 

The majority of our trash is less dense than water (i.e. plastic), so it floats. Currents pull our trash offshore into massive swirls that form in the middle of the ocean. 

Credit: The Ocean Cleanup

Today, five offshore plastic accumulation zones, or gyres, exist in the world’s oceans. We call the largest one (#1 above) the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), located halfway between Hawaii and California. 

The GPDP is nearly 620 million square miles and 100,000 tons. For perspective, over twice the size of Texas and heavier than 550 airline jets.

The GPGP: Over 2x the size of Texas and 550 jumbo jets heavy

Recent estimates place the total number of plastic pieces alone at 1.8 trillion, a staggering figure that's difficult to comprehend.

That's nearly 250 pieces of plastic for every person in the world.

The GPGP: Represents over 250 pieces of trash, per person in the world

Larger plastic pieces can ensnare animals, making it difficult to swim, eat, and reproduce. Tiny fragments of plastic under 5 mm, aka microplastics, never fully disintegrate. They float at the top of these garbage patches. Some sink down, settling into the soft ocean floor.

Plankton, the world's smallest creatures and plants, mistake these microplastics for food.

As ocean animals eat plankton, microplastics make their way up the food chain, even into the fish we eat.

This process is called bioaccumulation.

Bioaccumulation occurs when microplastics makes their way up the food chain, from plankton to the fish we eat.

Some garbage washes ashore, and that's where you come into play. We all want beautiful beaches, and small-scale beach cleanups help us get there.

Every time you head to the beach, you can help beautify our shorelines. Remember the handy motto "Pick 3 for the Sea," and you'll make an impact.

The Wave

We invite you to join our community, The Wave where we share amazing "ocean magic," helpful beach cleanup tips, and product updates as we work through our research and development process.

Never email trash, just the good stuff.

And next, check out the Top 10 Trash Categories, so you know what to look for out there!

Thank you for being you.