A few years ago I walked along an ocean beach and digging down into the 'sand' found that it was actually very small fragments & grains of plastic that had accumulated to a depth of at least six inches on this particular beach. Having read about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, I found first-hand about the on-shore impact on this beach and the native flora and fauna along the coastline.<p>I've thought about possible solutions and start-up opportunities since to help tackle the problem, but the problem is so huge, wide-spread and cost intensive, that the solutions I've come up with so far pale into insignificance of any viable and, at a minimum, break-even options.<p>FYI, the academic article, for non-subscribers/academics, costs US$35.