{"id":177468,"date":"2021-02-24T15:37:01","date_gmt":"2021-02-24T07:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/hong-kong\/?p=177468"},"modified":"2024-12-01T20:28:47","modified_gmt":"2024-12-01T12:28:47","slug":"plastic-pollution-in-hong-kong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/hong-kong\/plastic-pollution-in-hong-kong\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: Here\u2019s why a city like Hong Kong needs immediate attention and action to combat plastic pollution"},"content":{"rendered":"

A little disclaimer; the Mean Girls image was used strictly for pun purposes (no click-bait intended). Speaking of movies, the documentary A Plastic Ocean<\/a> directed by Craig Leeson put into perspective the magnitude of plastic<\/a> pollution and how it is destroying aquatic life. Minute things like a single plastic straw<\/a> are devastating the sea animals and I don\u2019t want my irresponsible actions to cause consequences for the voiceless animals. In 2021, I am on a mission to live a more sustainable<\/a> lifestyle. Who\u2019s with me, and how can we make it happen?<\/p>\n

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Plastic waste in the sea. A snippet from A Plastic Ocean.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So what\u2019s the buzz on plastic pollution, you ask? <\/h3>\n

Take a walk to your nearest pier or harbour-side promenade and take a good look at the oceanic waters. If you can\u2019t spot any plastic waste floating, you shall be granted a million bucks. Plastic bottles, plastic wraps, and plastic bags \u2013 the image of the floating debris from single-use plastic is all too common in Hong Kong, so common that many take this lightly. We like convenience, so we like plastic as we\u2019re told by advertisements that it is \u201cdisposable\u201d, but here\u2019s the catch \u2013 plastic never decomposes, it instead breaks down into tinier components which only makes matters worse. Disposable? Yes. Decomposable? Definitely not. <\/p>\n

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Plastic waste in landfills<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since the start of the pandemic, Hong Kong eateries have switched to take-away \u2013 especially with restaurants shutting at 6pm, patrons were left with no choice but to carry their food home in takeaway plastic containers. There are roughly 7 million people in Hong Kong, imagine the amount of plastic waste per day. <\/p>\n

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Sea animals risk being trapped and entangled in plastic bags.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We eat our food, then dispose of the plastic bags and containers \u2013 we think we\u2019re good to go. Landfills \u2013 like the name suggests, are filled \u2013 rubbish overflows to other areas, predominantly the sea. An estimate of 8 to 14 million tonnes of plastic is dumped in the ocean every year. Sea animals at times mistake plastic for food and ingest it, but they can\u2019t digest it. Plastic remains in their digestive system, blocking vital organs and the animals eventually die. At this point, most sea animals\u2019 bodies contain plastic (varying in amount). Yes, the seafood you eat may be contaminated with plastic \u2013 the plastic we thought was \u201cdisposable\u201d and have thrown in the rubbish chute, in return, ends up in our stomach. <\/p>\n

Just how<\/em> dire is the situation on plastic pollution? <\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s where I throw in some statistics to put things into perspective. <\/p>\n