Boaters Mapping Pacific Garbage to Arrive in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Scientists and volunteers who have spent the last month gathering data on how much plastic garbage is floating in the Pacific Ocean will return to San Francisco and share preliminary findings.

Volunteer crews on 30 boats have been measuring the size and mapping the location of tons of plastic waste floating between the West Coast and Hawaii.

A group of boats, including a 171-foot mother ship, will arrive at San Francisco's Piers 30-32 on Sunday, when the next steps in the process will be announced.

The boats went on a 30-day voyage as part of the "Mega Expedition," the first step of an effort to eventually clean up what's known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

It's sponsored by The Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch organization founded by 21-year-old Boyan Slat. The group plans to build a device that would start removing the garbage by 2020.

(Story by: Olga R. Rodriguez, The Associated Press)