Mitigating marine plastic debris in Hong Kong: an action plan

The impact of marine debris ranges from ecological and social to economic, including ingestion by wildlife, loss of tourist potential and high costs of clean-ups and reallocation of collected litter. In Hong Kong, an astounding amount of litter is collected annually, encompassing plastic food packaging, bottles and bottle caps. With over 60% of discarded items originating from shoreline activities, policies aimed at reducing marine litter in the region are urgent. In this action plan we seek to introduce the issue of marine litter in Hong Kong, identify major impacts, characterise stakeholders and offer potential solutions to the problem. Producer responsibility schemes, legislation seeking to ban commonly found items, development of alternative materials, enforcement of levy for rubbish and fines for littering, and improvement of wastewater and drainage systems are some of the measures that could reduce the amount of discarded debris in the environment. The major stakeholders of Hong Kong’s marine debris issue are primarily the local government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and businesses related to the plastic production chain. However, great relevance is attributed to invested citizens and researchers given their potential to influence decision makers. The competitive nature of industries in this area should also be taken advantage of, since companies may act as champions of plastic reduction. Finally, further cooperation with the Chinese government should be considered as marine litter is likely to affect - and originate from - mainland waters. In conclusion, collaboration between several actors is of critical importance if a successful reduction of plastic pollution is to be implemented, elevating Hong Kong to an aspiring position amongst global cities.