Greenpeace finds microplastics in 85% of wild mammal faeces in Hong Kong, calls for plastic waste regulation
Hong Kong Free Press
A green group has found that 85 per cent of five types of wild mammal in Hong Kong had ingested microplastics in countryside areas, as it called on the government to step up waste reduction policies.
Research teams from Hong Kong and Taipei universities, in collaboration with Greenpeace, found 2,503 pieces of microplastics in the faeces of buffalo, boar, cattle, macaques, and porcupines.
“This latest study… identified debris of polypropylene (PP), predominately used in single-use plastic packaging and takeaway containers, in the faeces of mammals living in the countryside. This indicates that the pollution from the continuous production of single-use plastics has expanded from the city to the countryside,” said Greenpeace campaigner Leanne Tam at a press conference on Monday.
“The government should not allow corporates to produce plastic without proper regulation; otherwise, the entire ecosystem will struggle to escape the plastic pollution,” she added.
Microplastics are defined by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as plastic debris smaller than 5 millimetres in length.
Plastics in the wild
Faecal samples were collected at seven countryside sites across Hong Kong between June and August 2022: Sai Kung West Country Park, Lion Rock, Kam Shan, Victoria Peak, Mui Wo, Pui O Bay, and Cheung Sha.
Microplastics in the form of polyethylene and polypropylene, which is used in single-use plastic packaging, takeaway containers, and disposable cutlery, were the main form of microplastics found in the samples.
Polyethylene particles made up 47.9 per cent of the particles found, while polypropylene particles made up 36.6 per cent, the study showed. The highest concentration of microplastics was found in cattle, with a median concentration of 65.5 microplastic particles per gram of dry faeces in samples found in Cheung Sha.
Christelle Not, senior lecturer at the University of Hong Kong’s Department of Earth Sciences, said the findings proved that wild animals can ingest microplastics in the countryside, away from urban areas and human activities.
“As an increasing number of studies find microplastics in various natural environments, wildlife, and even human bodies, plastic pollution has become a global issue that urgently needs to be addressed, we need a strong Global Plastic Treaty to set up a reduction target, enabling governments around the world to formulate plastic reduction policies accordingly,” Not said.
The Greenpeace statement read: “As one of the cities in East Asia with the highest per capita plastic consumption, Hong Kong is also a financial centre for many multinational corporations. Greenpeace calls on the government and corporations to take the lead in developing plastic reduction policies.”
“Despite Hong Kong’s implementation of the first phase of the ban on disposable plastic tableware and products this year, the second phase, which covers more takeaway containers, still lacks a clear timetable,” the NGO added.
Restaurants were given a six-month grace period to adapt to the partial ban on single-use plastics this April, during which authorities will not enforce rules. Under the first phase, restaurants are banned from providing plastic tableware such as utensils and straws for both dine-in and takeaway. Food containers, which the government classifies as having few alternatives, are still allowed.
The Environment and Ecology Bureau said in May that most major chains had adopted non-plastic alternatives, while small eateries were slow to make the switch.
The Greenpeace study was released ahead of an intragovernmental meeting on ending plastic pollution held in Busan, South Korea. The November meeting will be the fifth and final meeting for the plastics treaty.
See also: How big is Hong Kong’s waste problem, and how much does it recycle?
Earlier this year, a waste charging scheme first discussed two decades ago was delayed indefinitely. The policy was designed to reduce the amount of rubbish Hongkongers sent to landfill.
In 2022, the disposal rate of municipal solid waste in Hong Kong was 1.51 kilograms per person, per day, according to the Environmental Protection Department.
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