I was pleased to see the Eco-business special supplement (South China Morning Post, January 22) focusing on ecology and the advances various companies have made in that important area.
I applaud the efforts of those firms to help clean and protect the environment, and I applaud the Post for publicising their efforts. However, this only addresses part of the problem.
I am concerned about the attitude of many Hong Kong residents which seems to be that 'the environment is my trash can'.
I am constantly amazed and appalled by the amount of rubbish people just drop on the ground. For example, on January 19, I visited Plover Cove Reservoir and the area around Bride's Pool. In the pool, the streams around it and on the trail, I saw a large collection of cans, bottles, plastic wrappers and McDonald's wrappers, office paper, tyres, bits of metal, and plastic forks. Hong Kong should be proud of its country parks including the one at Plover Cove, but their beauty is significantly diminished by the amount of refuse. The problem is obviously not limited to country parks. Rubbish can be seen just about everywhere.
Until people change their attitude and stop dropping refuse, and until they truly recognise that the environment is everyone's responsibility, Hong Kong will not solve its environmental problems.
PHIL BACKLUND
