The Trash Vortex Pacific Plastic Soup, Toxic Soup, Great Garbage Patch and other similar names, is an area of the ocean covered by trash in the centre of the North Pacific Ocean. It is estimated to have the size of Texas, with 6 kg of waste for every kilo of natural plankton. This oceanic dump is characterised by exceptionally high concentrations of plastic and other waste which have been trapped by the streams of the North Pacific Gyre (formed by a vortex of ocean streams).

Besides the danger it involves for the marine ecosystem, the materials are not biodegradable, so thanks to the action of waves and the sun, it is broken down into a lot of small pieces that blend more easily so it increase maritime pollution.