Estimates have been published that there are now around 5 trillion pieces of plastic in the world's oceans, weighing almost 270,000 tonnes (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2868708/More-five-TRILLION-pieces-plastic-litter-seas-oceans.html). This is not just an eye-sore (like the Red sea strand-line at Jeddah shown above) but serious sources of problems for food chains (fish, turtles, marine mammals and fish-eating birds are only the most obvious victims). The trouble with plastic is that it takes an awfully long time to degrade and it can move an awfully long way in the interconnected waters of the planet. Getting any improvement would be expensive and take lots of time.
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