The study presents a 22-year (1986–2008) time series of plastic content at the surface of the western North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, collected through 6136 surface plankton net tows. Over 60% of these tows contained buoyant plastic pieces, with the highest concentrations observed in subtropical latitudes, coinciding with large-scale convergence in surface currents. Despite a rapid increase in plastic production and disposal, no significant trend in plastic concentration was detected in the region of highest accumulation. The study also examines the pathways of plastic debris into and out of the high-concentration region using satellite-tracked drifting buoys, suggesting that the debris may have originated in the subtropical western North Atlantic. Further, the analysis of plastic samples indicates that most pieces are less dense than seawater and are composed of high and low-density polyethylene and polypropylene. The study concludes that while plastic input to the ocean has increased, the observed steady plastic concentration suggests the presence of sinks, such as fragmentation, sedimentation, shore deposition, and ingestion by marine organisms, which offset this increase.The study presents a 22-year (1986–2008) time series of plastic content at the surface of the western North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, collected through 6136 surface plankton net tows. Over 60% of these tows contained buoyant plastic pieces, with the highest concentrations observed in subtropical latitudes, coinciding with large-scale convergence in surface currents. Despite a rapid increase in plastic production and disposal, no significant trend in plastic concentration was detected in the region of highest accumulation. The study also examines the pathways of plastic debris into and out of the high-concentration region using satellite-tracked drifting buoys, suggesting that the debris may have originated in the subtropical western North Atlantic. Further, the analysis of plastic samples indicates that most pieces are less dense than seawater and are composed of high and low-density polyethylene and polypropylene. The study concludes that while plastic input to the ocean has increased, the observed steady plastic concentration suggests the presence of sinks, such as fragmentation, sedimentation, shore deposition, and ingestion by marine organisms, which offset this increase.