Environment

Garbage Islands Are Swamping Oceans

In the oceans, you can find eight million tonnes of garbage, which is enough to choke five carrier bags for every foot of coastline in the world. As these are carried by ocean currents, they pile up to five giant 'garbage islands' that swirl around the world's major ocean gyres.

Annually, the planet spews between 8 million and 12.7 million tons of plastic bottles, bags, toys and other plastic rubbish into the oceans.

Nasa has now created a "visualisation of this pollution" showing how humanity is degrading the oceans. Scientists are releasing some buoys into the oceans to track the progress of the garbage.

Visualisation can be watched here .