Charles described an area in the Pacific, twice the size of Texas, transformed literally into a plastic soup, where one part plankton to six parts plastic could be trawled.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

There is an area of the Pacific the size of Texas known as the "trash vortex" or "plastic soup" where gyrating currents hold an estimated six kilos of plastic for every kilo of plankton, according to Greenpeace.

CNN: Fighting the tide of plastic bags in a world awash with waste

Though you may find a few tangled nets, buckets and bottle caps, there are no fabled islands of trash, only a thin soup of plastic.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS