the pacific garbage gyre wins

"The 2,000-foot-long boom, which arrived at the garbage patch after a voyage of about 1,400 miles, was designed to trap the trash so that it could be returned to shore. The Ocean Cleanup’s goals were ambitious: 150,000 pounds of plastic in Year 1, with more booms to follow. Within five years, the group hoped, half the debris would be collected.

But on Monday, the organization said that in a routine inspection over the weekend, it found that an end-section of the boom almost 60 feet long — 18 meters — had detached. The boom will be taken back to shore as soon as weather allows, the group said."

Here.