While “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” is a term often used by the media, it does not paint an accurate picture of the marine debris problem in the North Pacific Ocean. Marine debris concentrates in various regions of the North Pacific, not just in one area. The exact size, content, and location of the “garbage patches” are difficult to accurately predict. The name “Pacific Garbage Patch” is not visible with satellite or aerial photographs. While higher concentrations of litter items can be found in this area, much of the debris is actually small pieces of floating plastic that are not immediately evident to the naked eye. The entire Great Pacific Garbage Patch is bounded by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. The circular motion of the gyre draws debris into this stable center, where it becomes trapped. While many different types of trash enter the ocean, plastics make up the majority of marine debris for two reasons. First, plastic’s durability, low cost, and malleability mean that it’s being used in more and more consumer and industrial products. Second, plastic goods do not biodegrade but instead, break down into smaller pieces. It is possible to sail through “garbage patch” areas in the Pacific and see very little or no debris on the water’s surface. Debris found in any region of the ocean can easily be ingested by marine species causing choking, starvation, and other impairments. Cleaning up marine debris is not as easy as it sounds. Many microplastics are the same size as small sea animals, so nets designed to scoop up trash would catch these creatures as well. Even if we could design nets that would just catch garbage, the size of the oceans makes this job far too time-consuming to consider. Besides, it is not likely that any country will pay the expensive bill.