CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon State University oceanographer says exaggerated claims about the amount of plastic trash in the Pacific Ocean undermines efforts to clean up the problem.
Angel White says claims about a patch of plastic garbage twice the size of Texas floating in the ocean are false.
White says her research shows there is plenty of ocean garbage and it is a serious problem that needs to be addressed.
But she says the actual amount of plastic would only cover an area less than 1 percent the size of Texas.