HKFP Lens: Greenpeace ‘Trash Whale’ aims to warn of Hong Kong’s plastic addiction
Hong Kong Free Press
A large-scale “trash whale” installation is on display at West Kowloon Cultural District until Sunday to raise awareness of the scourge of plastic waste in Hong Kong.
The collaboration between Greenpeace Hong Kong and product designer Kevin Cheung coincides with Plastic Free July.
Made up of 2,361 pieces of disposable tableware, with an outer layer consisting of various plastic lunchboxes and lids, the whale is surrounded by paper containers and tableware that claims to be be biodegradable.
It symbolises the continued environmental impact of disposable tableware under the new ban on single-use plastics.
In a statement this week, Greenpeace said it hoped to “draw public attention to the financial and environmental costs behind single-use plastic or other unnecessary packaging.”
Following April’s partial ban on single-use plastics, businesses have a six-month grace period to adapt and authorities will not enforce the rules during this time. Uptake has, thus far, been poor.
The city’s 13 dumpsites are brimming, with three remaining landfills expected to be full by 2030.
The average amount of plastic disposed of daily totalled 2,331 tonnes in 2021 — similar to the weight of nearly 70 adult humpback whales.
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