Hong Kong environmentalists go the extra tile to keep the sea clean
Mini artworks intended to make people think twice before throwing litter into gutters that lead to the ocean
The city’s litter bugs were put on notice on Saturday, starting with the south side of Hong Kong Island, where environmental activists and artists adorned pavements with colourful tiles reminding people not to dump their rubbish in drains.
They installed more than 100 ornate tiles at drain openings across Aberdeen, Ap Lei Chau and Stanley in a bid to discourage Hongkongers from throwing litter down gutters that lead straight to the sea.
Collaborating with seven artists, environmentalists at local initiative Ocean Recovery Alliance plan to place thousands of the tiles at gutters across the city in a unique awareness-raising project bringing together environmentalism and art.
“As a port city, the ocean is Hong Kong’s best natural asset but we’ve been neglecting it,” said Doug Woodring, the alliance’s Californian co-founder, who came to the city 20 years ago.
“Pollution from the streets is a big factor in the poor coastal water quality,” he said, describing how people dump cigarette butts, oil and paint down Hong Kong’s rain water drainage system without realising where it goes.
