Editorial | Protect our animals from microplastics

Wild animals in Hong Kong appear to be falling victim to the city’s failure to get a handle on its plastic waste problem. An international green group found an alarming level of microplastics in mammal droppings, offering the latest evidence of how poorly the city is doing in its fight against such pollution.

Greenpeace said earlier this month that tiny pieces of plastic were detected in 85 per cent of faecal samples collected from wild land mammal species. The NGO worked with university researchers in Hong Kong and Taiwan to collect and analyse 100 samples from buffalo, cattle, boar, macaques and porcupines.

Contamination was found in all seven sites where droppings were collected from June to August of 2022. More than 2,500 microplastic pieces were detected. The highest median concentrations were found in cattle faeces in Cheung Sha on Lantau Island.

Lower levels were found in buffalo droppings in Lantau’s Mui Wo and Pui O Bay, and in samples from macaque monkeys in Kowloon’s Kam Shan. The results included research on animals in Sai Kung, Lion Rock and Victoria Peak. The most common types of plastic found were polythene and polypropylene, frequently used in single-use packaging, takeaway containers and disposable utensils.

Microplastics form when larger materials break down over time. Greenpeace campaigner Leanne Tam Wing-lam said pollution from continuous use of plastics has “expanded from the city to the countryside”. Concentrations in Hong Kong were higher than those found in similar studies in Thailand, mainland China and the US.

It is good the city has started banning single-use plastics. Since April, styrofoam containers and plastic straws and cutlery are no longer allowed. Authorities have yet to start the next phase banning cups, takeaway boxes and more. The city shelved a household waste-charging scheme after a failed roll-out earlier this year. Food waste collections are being tested but are far from full implementation.