TO GO WITH Environment-US-Asia-ocean-was

TO GO WITH Environment-US-Asia-ocean-waste-plastic,FEATURE by Guy Newey Doug Woodring, an entrepreneur and conservationist who lives in Hong Kong, displays rubbish on May 07, 2009 on a beach on the south side of Hong Kong which has been left uncleaned. A group of conservationists and scientists is due to set sail for an obscure corner of the Pacific Ocean in the coming months to explore a vast swirl of waste known as the "Plastic Vortex." The giant gloop -- which some scientists estimate is twice the size of Texas -- has been gradually building over the last 60 years as Asia and the United States tossed their unwanted goods into the ocean. AFP PHOTO/MIKE CLARKE (Photo credit should read MIKE CLARKE/AFP via Getty Images)