Plastic is now produced in such vast quantities that it is clogging the world’s oceans. A stretch of water between Japan and California is where much of the world’s unwanted plastic ends up. The heir to a European banking empire, David de Rothschild, plans to sail through the so-called Eastern Garbage Patch later this year to draw attention to this critical mass of ocean waste. Alex McDonald reports.

The build up of plastic can have a devastating effect on sea turtles and other wildlife. Picture: dolanh

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

This story first appeared on 2SER.