Echoing the theme of “Together We Can Protect and Restore Our Ocean” for this year’s World Oceans Day (WOD), the Environmental Protection Department of the Hong Kong Government (HKEPD) initiated a territory-wide coastal clean-up programme in May and June 2019 to encourage public participation and engage them in protecting the ocean. During that period, HKEPD had organised or supported a total of 120 coastal clean-up activities and engaged some 2,400 participants who cleaned up over 50 beaches.
In addition, HKEPD had, for the first time, collaborated with authorities of the Guangdong Province to organise a series of coastal clean-up activities, with participation from government officials and volunteers under the united theme of "Care Our Ocean, Keep Our Beaches Clean". In Guangdong, the various beach clean-up activities were carried out in a total of 14 coastal cities. This joint event set a milestone in closer regional cooperation in marine environmental education. Through the clean-up activities, members of the public in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area can understand more about the marine refuse problem, thereby instilling behavioural changes to reduce waste at source, protect the ocean and keep the beaches clean.
Apart from coastal clean-up activities, HKEPD also held the Plastic-free Fun Fair with the Environmental Campaign Committee on 9 June. Nearly 30 government departments, non-government organisations, green groups, tertiary institutes and community groups joined together to promote the messages of going plastic-free and protecting our ocean through interactive games, sharing sessions, upcycling workshops and music performances. An artwork made from marine refuse collected during coastal clean-up activities was displayed to visualize the problem of marine plastic pollution. As an event highlight, "Clean Shorelines Heroes" were commended at the opening ceremony for their selfless contributions in protecting the marine environment. The "Clean Shorelines Heroes" are enthusiastic volunteers and groups who have made concerted efforts in initiating, organising or participating in coastal clean-up activities in Hong Kong.
For details, please visit https://www.worldoceansday.org/events-current-year/coastal-clean-up-activities-and-plastic-free-fun-fair-for-celebrating-world-oceans-day-2019