Although volunteers cleaned up beaches and shores two weekends ago, marine trash has repopulated Hong Kong’s shorelines again. Throughout the month, many continued to post pictures on social media showing trash building up around harbours and on beaches.
The northern part of the Cheung Chau Harbour was crowded with trash in photos published on Tuesday.
Trash, including styrofoam boxes and plastic containers, line the shore and many who saw the photographs on Facebook expressed shock at the severity of the situation.
At Sha Kiu Tau, High Island, trash is also all over the beach, according to photos posted on Monday.
Plastic bags, which seem to make up the majority of the waste, were littered across the beach.
Meanwhile, Tai Long Wan Tsuen at Shek Pik, Lantau Island, also saw a wave of trash wash onto the beach on Monday.
Near Lamma Island, trash is floating on the sea and washing up onto the beach, according to photos published Sunday.
In response to the amount of trash on the beaches, volunteers have set up another cleanup event at Shek Pik, Lantau Island, at the end of July. Some have also set up a petition proposing to reduce plastic bottle waste through refundable deposits in hopes of reducing trash found on beaches and hiking trails.
An “unprecedented” amount of trash appeared along the harbours and shores of Hong Kong earlier this month, alarming residents and environmentalists. Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has pledged to talk with Chinese authorities to stem the tide, as he blamed the rise in rubbish on refuse washing ashore from the mainland.
