Outrage has ensued after piles of trash were found scattered across Hong Kong’s beaches.
Visitors to the beaches took to social media to voice their outrage with accompanying photos that seem to show an oasis of trash instead of the luxurious scenery the area usually offers.
“I have never in my 20 years here seen consistently this much rubbish on our [South Lantau] shores. The seas are awash with so much that just keeps arriving on the shoreline it’s embarrassing… No one wants to sit on a beach with this.” said one Facebook user
Environmental group, Environmental Sea Shepherd Hong Kong has described the amount of trash washing up on the beaches as “unprecedented”.
From the photos, the trash seems to be comprised of bottles, containers and other plastic waste. Complaints have been rolling in over the last two weeks and more and more pictures begin to flood social media.
Hong Kong’s landfills are located in the its more crowded areas, which is far away from its beaches. Whilst trash can be found scattered on the beach at times, the beaches have never experienced such a gargantuan amount of rubbish.
Environmental Sea Shepherd Hong Kong has suggested that “multiple culprits” are responsible for this mess, including mainland China and Hong Kong itself. The group also hinted that sailors and fishermen from Wai Lingding island may have been responsible after reports suggested that they were seen dumping trash off the side of the cliffs.
The Hong Kong government has not officially addressed the issue yet. However, Facebook user Ben Sargent posted a picture of an email from the Environmental Protection Department that claimed that it was not the right agency to deal with the matter.
All pictures taken from Facebook
