The ocean currents in the North Pacific form a swirling vortex of water that collects all the trash thrown into the Ocean off the US West Coast.  This has resulted in a huge floating pile of garbage in the middle of the ocean, as big as Texas.

Read more here: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/oceans/pollution/trash-vortex/

and here:  http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T0ZDN5wkewg/TGsxh2hzykI/AAAAAAAAASM/pECe3fbfpwo/s1600/great%2Bpacific%2Bdump.jpg&imgrefurl=http://kidfriendlyorganiclife.blogspot.com/2010/08/great-garbage-patch.html&usg=__rHXtUpCQPRZJ3wJbl-YTmBP8Eso=&h=432&w=750&sz=177&hl=en&start=1&zoom=1&itbs=1&tbnid=h71VzEkdULvK1M:&tbnh=81&tbnw=141&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtrash%2Bvortex%2Bpacific%26hl%3Den%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=PXlPTdfrN4K88ga_qI2fDg

Here is an animation showing the calm area in which the swirling trash has collected:  http://oceans.greenpeace.org/en/the-expedition/news/trashing-our-oceans/ocean_pollution_animation