‘We will clean it ourselves’: Hongkongers clear unprecedented amount of rubbish washed up on city’s beaches
Volunteers take to the beaches in clean-up drive while calling on government to do more to curb the worsening problem of marine rubbish
Frankie McYuen is on a mission to save Hong Kong from its chronic waste problem – even if it means knocking on one door at a time.
The 34-year-old grocery shop owner from Lantau was so appalled by the explosion of rubbish on Upper Cheung Sha beach last weekend that he walked from house to house, urging residents to join him for a spontaneous clean-up.
What started as just 30 volunteers, soon grew to a group of more than 100 by the end of Sunday, with the help of a Facebook post. Faced with an overwhelming task, they filled hundreds of bags with rubbish, much of it plastic.
The impromptu clean-up came amid a chorus of concern across the city after an unprecedented amount of rubbish washed up on local shores last weekend.
Six to 10 times the usual volume of marine refuse was being washed up, the Environmental Protection Department said, with causes being attributed to heavy rain and floods in the Pearl River basin.
Photos of the filthy beaches went viral online and while the causes are still being explored, one positive which has come out of the negative is the display of community spirit in tackling the problem.