A Hong Kong scuba diver’s one-woman mission to fight marine pollution through beach and ocean clean-ups
- Kitti Chan, 39, has seen the damage done to animals and humans when rubbish is left adrift at sea, and once collected so much waste that authorities had to send storage boxes
As the rain stops at noon and sunshine peeks out from behind the clouds, Hong Kong English tutor Kitti Chan Fung-ping calls two friends for an outing to a beach in Sai Kung. But they are not there to enjoy the sand and surf.
Their destination is a 10-minute walk from the area’s promenade and accessible only by descending a slope while holding on to a soaked hemp rope for support. Armed with gloves and sacks, they start their mission – picking up all manner of scattered rubbish, from plastic bottles, foam boxes, and abandoned fishing nets to menstrual pads and condoms.
“If nobody does anything about the large amount of rubbish, what will happen? It will only grow more and more,” Chan, 39, says.
She has been doing this for years, powered only by her sheer will to rid Hong Kong’s beaches and waters of rubbish.
The city has a severe problem when it comes to marine pollution. According to the Environmental Protection Department, 15,439 tonnes of marine refuse were collected in 2017. Among them, most were plastics and foam plastics.
Chan’s idea of clean-ups stemmed from her love for scuba diving.
Since obtaining a diving licence 15 years ago, she has travelled to various dive spots, including Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Palau and the Red Sea. The underwater world and its myriad of sea creatures give her a sense of calm and focus.
Toxic plastic particles in ocean should be a wake-up call to recycle and reduce
But her passion has also opened her eyes to the ills of pollution and what it does to animals and humans.
Chan recalls how she was once trapped by an abandoned fishing net some 10 metres under water near High Island in Sai Kung, and saved by a lifeguard. “Being underwater is dangerous with low visibility and strong waves, and abandoned fishing nets make the situation even worse.”
She started carrying out ocean and beach clean-ups in June 2017, and has so far completed 120 such sessions.
If the weather is good, she rents a kayak to collect floating rubbish such as plastics and foam products. She also dives to pick up fishing nets, also known as “ghost nets”.
These things, nearly invisible in the dim light, are left tangled on rocky reefs or adrift on the open sea. They can ensnare sea creatures and divers.
Most of Chan’s clean-ups are done in Sai Kung, and in this area, she says Yeung Chau Island – about 500 metres from the tip of Sai Kung Public Pier – has the worst problem. During her first three clean-ups there with two friends, they collected 7.5 tonnes of waste.
Because of the large amount of trash, they had to contact the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, which sent 15 boxes for storage.
Rubbish sacks which double up as shopping bags to be sold for waste charging
The extent of the pollution can be overwhelming, Chan says. But fortunately, she is not alone in her quest. More than 1,000 people have joined her clean-ups.
Retired policeman Frankie Man Tat-fai, 55, has a habit of picking up rubbish when swimming with his family. He learned about Chan’s clean-ups through a friend and has joined three sessions.
“I feel bad when I see rubbish floating in the water. I like these clean-ups as I can help the environment and exercise at the same time,” he says.
Another regular, Leo Mak Chi-wai, echoes the sentiment. The 40-year-old IT support staff member has been fighting plastic waste for years. He frequently travels with friends to places such as Lamma Island and Tap Mun to pick up rubbish and promote waste reduction and recycling.
Green groups say marine pollution not only threatens sea creatures, but also poses a hidden risk to humans. Hong Kong is a huge market for fish consumption. But toxins in waste consumed by fish are passed on to humans in the food chain, according to Edwin Lau Che-feng, executive director of Green Earth.
An Education University survey shows plastic fragments were found in nearly two-thirds of wild flathead grey mullet – a fish species common in Chinese meals.
Lau says at the end of the day, the government has the most resources when it comes to tackling pollution. He adds that it should step up law enforcement to deter people from dumping waste in the city’s waters, and enhance education to increase awareness.
“Without proper treatment, rubbish will stay, either on the surface or at the bottom of the sea,” Lau says. “We should not turn a blind eye to this.”
Meanwhile, after a two-hour clean-up, Chan and her friends climb back up from the Sai Kung beach, with full sacks of trash on their shoulders.
As she wipes sweat from her brow, steeling herself to lug the sacks on rollers to a nearby dumpster, she says: “For most people, the work is done when all the rubbish is picked up. But for me, the work will always continue.”
