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The Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, and the Secretary for Development, Mr Paul Chan, jointly led a team of some 40 staff members from various Government departments to conduct a shoreline cleanup operation at Shui Hau on Lantau Island this morning (June 18).
To facilitate further understanding of the refuse accumulation pattern in the area, participants sorted and recorded the types of refuse collected systematically. A total of 127 kilograms of refuse was collected.
According to the Marine Refuse Study released by the Inter-departmental Working Group on Clean Shorelines in April 2015, Shui Hau has been identified as one of the 27 priority sites prone to refuse accumulation. Government departments have since enhanced cleaning at the priority sites and implemented various improvement measures.
Mr Wong joined a cleanup operation at Shui Hau last September. He stressed that marine refuse is not only an eyesore but also impacts the marine environment. While government departments will continue cleaning operations, it is crucial for everyone to change habits to keep the shorelines clean, such as avoiding the use of single-use items, properly disposing of waste, or separate and recycle wastes. Only by reducing waste at source can people truly protect our coasts and leave no trace, he emphasised.
Mr Chan said that preserving the natural shoreline and beautiful beaches along South Lantau for public enjoyment is part of the proposed Lantau development strategy, under which most of Lantau should be used for conservation, leisure, cultural and green tourism. The Government will explore feasible measures to better conserve and utilise the natural resources to enhance their recreational and educational value.
Co-ordinated by the Environment Bureau, the Working Group was set up in November 2012 to tackle the marine refuse problem through inter-departmental collaboration as well as joint government and community efforts. Information on the Government's efforts on clean shorelines and other beach cleanup activities is available at the Working Group's thematic website at www.epd.gov.hk/epd/clean_shorelines.
Ends/Saturday, June 18, 2016
Issued at HKT 11:58
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