'Circular Economy Needed To Solve Plastic Pollution'

A local green group said on Wednesday that the city needs to create a circular economy for plastics, with the material making up the majority of coastal waste they had collected over the past decade.

The Environmental Association said it had collected 9,000 kilogrammes of waste along Hong Kong’s coastline, with single-use plastics – such as bottles, tableware, and bags – making up nearly two-thirds of the rubbish collected.

They said that since most of the plastic packaging bore traditional Chinese characters, the waste most likely came from within Hong Kong.

The group's chief executive, Dr Yau Wing-kwong, described the city’s plastic recycling rate of around 10 percent as “really, really low”.

He said collected waste plastic in Hong Kong is chipped into tiny pieces or pellets, and then exported overseas so it can be turned into new products, such as trainers and T-shirts.

“This is something that is lacking in Hong Kong,” Yau told RTHK's Natale Ching. “We do not really have a recycling industry that turns recycled products into another product – what we call cradle-to-cradle.”

“We still rely on other countries to do the product-making process. So I think in the future, we can focus on that more, making what we call a circular economy.”

Yau added that his group is conducting a survey to see whether residents prefer using a rebate or deposit system for plastic containers, which could help encourage recycling.

He said the use of plastics is not a “sin”, but the failure to dispose of plastic containers and packaging properly creates huge problems.

Things like plastic bags are light, and when left on beaches, piers and elsewhere along the waterfront, it is easily blown into the sea, Yau explained, adding that illegal dumping also sees larger appliances end up in the sea.

Yau said once these things get into the sea, they break into tiny pieces and pollute the ecosystem.

"Eventually, it will get into the food chain as fish start eating them. So, who will get hurt most? Us, human beings."