414 Million Pieces br of Plastic Found br Washed Ashore on br Australian Islands A study published in the journal br Scientific Reports found that the br remote Cocos Islands are home br to 238 tons of plastic waste. Jennifer Lavers, study leader, via CNN The authors of the study say such br islands are "canaries in a coal mine," br and that it's urgent "we act on the br warnings they are giving us." Among the debris on br the Cocos Islands are br close to one million shoes and 370,000 toothbrushes. From straws to sandals, an br estimated 5.25 trillion pieces br of plastic waste are circling the br globe in the earth's oceans. Researchers say "the only viable solution is to reduce plastic production and consumption ... " and to improve br waste management so br the material never enters br the ocean in the first place.