As a result, the city attracts thousands of "stag night" tourists each year, who are often responsible for noise pollution, garbage and vomit-covered streets.

BBC: Spoking the fire in Amsterdam

Cities were considered a blight on the environment: energy-hogging, pollution-spewing, garbage-producing environmental hellholes.

WSJ: How to Build a Greener City

Much of the pollution that exists in the garbage patches is plastic waste that gradually breaks down into short lengths of polymer which absorb other pollutants and accelerate their uptake into the marine food-chain.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS