What a waste: Bulk of Hong Kong marine litter is plastic, say green groups

Plastic comprises more than two-thirds of marine litter accumulating in many coastal areas in Hong Kong, a new survey has found.

Led by WWF-Hong Kong and six partners, the Coastal Watch Project found that the plastic in floating and underwater marine litter posed a grave threat to ecosystems.

Project manager Patrick Yeung Chung-wing stressed that the marine litter problem had to be tackled at source as it would be absorbed into the food chain and affect human health. “We also found fish bite marks on pieces of plastic litter,” he said.

“The pollutants absorbed by marine animals will potentially bio-accumulate along the food chain, which will eventually damage the marine ecosystem and affect fishery resources and human health.”