CA ACR182

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch contains approximately 1.8 trillion plastic pieces with a total mass of about 100,000 tons, covering over 617,000 square miles between Hawaii and California and near Japan.

Marine plastic pollution causes significant environmental damage, with sea turtles and albatross ingesting plastics and toxic chemicals (BPA, PCBs) that bioaccumulate through the food chain to humans.

Annual economic costs of marine plastic pollution range from $6 billion to $19 billion from impacts on tourism, cleanups, fisheries, and aquaculture, with an estimated 1.15 to 2.41 million tons of plastic entering oceans yearly from rivers.

California has implemented pilot projects including a solar-powered trash collection device in Marina del Rey and approved funding for the Newport Bay Pollution Control Project to capture pollutants before they enter the ocean.

The Legislature promotes and encourages solutions and resources for keeping oceans and coastlines healthy and eliminating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch through comprehensive strategies and innovative technologies.