The phrase "garbage patch" refers to a large area in the ocean where trash, mostly made of plastic, accumulates and floats together. It is like a big clump of garbage floating on the water. Full definition
I've posted before about the plastic garbage patches in the ocean. (thesmartmama.com)
His team found that an enormous floating garbage patch there held a mix of fishing gear and tiny plastic bits. (sciencenewsforstudents.org)
It's actually a layering of two models, both of which show how trash in the ocean ends up in the five big pockets known as garbage patches. (pearltrees.com)