Our recent CSR project for Star Anise involved a beach clean up at Hong Kong's Shek O beach. What we encountered gave us all plenty of food for thought.

1. Plastic pollution in
Hong Kong
Take part in the Trash Bag Clean Up Challenge!
Chris Tang, Star Anise, Hong Kong

2. Hong Kong has
a plastics
problem
• Hong Kong is one of the largest users
of single use plastic in the world
(population 7.48m)
• 5.2m plastic water bottles are
disposed of in Hong Kong every single
day
• Over 46m pieces of plastics are
disposed of in Hong Kong every week
(Breakfreefromplastic.org)
• Over the last 3 years, plastic pollution
in our waters has increased 11-fold
• From the Shing Mun River (Sha Tin)
alone, 17m items of plastics are
reportedly flushed out to sea each year

3. Field study (Shek O)
(26.11.19)
Staff and friends of Star Anise
Legal & Compliance recently
undertook a beach clean up at
Shek O beach, on Hong Kong’s
south island (click link for
photos of our team in action!)

4. Trash, both large
and small
These were the easy
targets to pick up. Large
Styrofoam boxes and
discarded paint/chemical
cans

5. The scourge of
plastics
• Hong Kong has an addiction to
plastic usage
• The majority of plastics
collected comprised of plastic
forks and spoons, takeaway
containers, shopping bags, and
Styrofoam (from fish markets),
and fishing rod equipment
• Much of this is marine pollution
is clearly self-inflicted

6. You only have to observe everyday
life in our city to see that the cause
of this marine pollution is from
excessive packaging in our own
consumables and over-reliance of
single-use plastic.
Yet we, the public, aren’t
challenging WHY we have so much
plastic in our lives.
Photo credit: Hong Kong Marine Lap Sap IS Serious
– So What To Do About It

7. Styrofoam
Styrofoam boxes from
fishermen and fish markets are
thrown into the sea. They then
break down into tiny pieces.
When they are broken down
into millions of pieces, how do
you dispose of this?
And yes, this is still Shek O beach!

8. The scourge of oil
Shek O lies near a popular
shipping channel for container
ships just a mile out to sea.
The rocks on the side of the
beach clearly show the effects
of oil emissions, as our team
found out to the detriment of
their footwear and ankles.

9. How we can
manage our
plastic waste
PLASTIC WASTE
MANAGEMENT STARTS
AT HOME (YOU).
RECYCLE.
USE LESS PLASTIC.
PERIOD.
INVEST IN A GOOD
QUALITY WATER BOTTLE
AND CUP TO USE AT
WORK OR ON THE GO
SAY NO TO TAKEAWAY
CHOPSTICKS, SPOONS
AND FORKS. BRING
YOUR OWN TO WORK.
HAVE A GOOD QUALITY
LIGHT SHOPPING BAG
WITH YOU FOR LAST
MINUTE SHOPPING AND
PUT IN YOUR
WORKBAG/HANDBAG
LOBBY YOUR FAVOURITE
TAKEAWAYS TO USE
PLASTICS LESS
INTENSIVELY
WRITE TO YOUR
DISTRICT COUNCIL AND
THE GOVERNMENT,
PRESSURE THEM INTO
ACTION
SIGN UP WITH LOCAL
AND GLOBAL CHARITIES,
SUCH PARLEY,
GREENPEACE EAST ASIA

10. The Trash Bag
Challenge –
are you up for
it?
The mission: visit a beach or woodland and fill one large
bio-degradable bag with trash and encourage 3 other
friends to do the same. Your friends repeat the
challenge with 3 of their friends, and so on.
Preparation: 1 large black bin bag (bio-degradable),
tongs (optional), sturdy gloves and footwear, mosquito
spray, sun block, hat
If just 10% of the city’s adult population took up the one
bag trash challenge, Hong Kong would immediately be a
cleaner place!
Large group beach clean ups may need permission from
Hong Kong Leisure and Cultural Services Department

11. Works cited
Further reading:
• 5.2m water bottles disposed of daily in Hong Kong (SCMP)
• Shing Mun River plastics pollution (17m items annually)
flushed out to sea (SCMP)
• 11 fold increase in plastics found in Hong Kong’s rivers
(Green Queen)
• 46m pieces of plastic disposed of in Hong Kong every week
• The devastation of Styrofoam caused by Typhoon
Mangkhut in Sept 2018 (HKFP)
Author: Chris Tang, Star Anise Legal & Compliance, Hong Kong
www.staranise.com.hk