In Hong Kong, China, in order to protest the illegal dumping in the ocean, over 800 individuals created “Trashzilla” with the plastic pollution along the coastline. Trashzilla is an iconic figure in Chinese history, when it comes to campaigns against litter, though it hasn’t found itself in the spotlight in recent years—until now.
With a coastline that stretches over 1000km, the ocean in Hong Kong resides as home to dozens of marine creatures. Most notably, there is the white dolphin, which glimmers a very light pink in the sun. Not only is the pollution an environmental disaster, but it’s a threat to the ocean’s biodiversity as well. Animals digest and choke on the plastic. If they’re unlucky, they will starve with a stomach full of plastic, unable to digest even a bottle cap. Trashzilla is more than simply a warning.
According to experts, the fault of the illegal dumping most likely lies with businesses and the citizens of Hong Kong. Apparently, these companies and individuals don’t appear to care about the consequences. Time and again, volunteers and activists struggle to clean the beaches. Time and again, polluters strip their hard work plastic bottle by plastic bottle. Devastatingly, villages who once visited the beaches for a swim are now swimming in nothing more than trash.
The fault also lies with mainland China, though to a lesser degree, whose garbage uses the waves to reach the Hong Kong coastlines. Similar pieces of garbage (plastic bottles, glass bottles, plastic packaging, and wrappers) pollute the waters from the mainland. All in all, a serious change must occur in order to overcome Trashzilla.
Hong Kong officials have come to a solution that seems quite simple: recycling. Though recycling bins are supposedly easy to access in Hong Kong, it’s still difficult for change when the government doesn’t strongly enforce the practice. Once the habit of the people change, Hong Kong will see a change.
Again, pollution is a serious problem, not only for marine life, but for the biodiversity of our planet. Also, regardless of the creatures, our waters were not meant to be a bed for nondegradable pollutants to swim in for years and years. Perhaps Trashzilla would agree with that message, but the citizens of Hong Kong should unanimously agree that Trashzilla needs to go. Hopefully, as new recycling plants are built and the government enforces the practice of recycling, that change will happen.
