STYROFOAM-FREE DB CAMPAIGN

Styrofoam-Free DB is a project led by TheWayToGo and a coalition of community members and business owners that strives to educate the restaurants and patrons of Discovery Bay on the environmental and health benefits of going Styrofoam free in order to minimize the consumption and pollution of polystyrene foam on our island. In our endeavour to lead DB to become Styrofoam-free, we hope to address the issues related to ALL single-use plastics, including plastic shopping bags, food take-out containers, plastic utensils, water bottles, etc.

Styrofoam-Free DB Goals:

1. To minimize the use of single-use Styrofoam food take-out containers.
2. To raise awareness and educate people on the human and environmental health issues related to Styrofoam use.
3. To provide a list of cost effective alternatives to single-use Styrofoam food wares.
4. To address the issues related to ALL single-use plastics, including plastic shopping bags, food take-out containers, plastic utensils, water bottles, etc.

We hope that you can join us in this effort and will encourage your friends and family to participate in this important campaign. By working together we can make a difference for our neighborhood, island and world! YES WE CAN CHANGE!

Coalition Members (as of November 2008):

DB community members
Over 200 individuals signed a petition to stop the use of Styrofoam for take-out food packaging in DB.
(If you'd like to join in this campaign and see an end to Styrofoam use in DB, please email us your thoughts and we will gladly add your name onto the list.)

DB Restaurants:
- Hemingways by the Bay - use of sustainable, biodegradable food ware for take-out and deliveries, NO Styrofoam

DB Shops & Businesses:
- Little Miss Green the Party Queen - sells sustainable, biodegradable food ware for parties, NO Styrofoam
- Kinoa - supports and practices plastic free packaging for all deliveries, NO Styrofoam

and many more about to join...

MEDICAL WASTE CONTAMINATION

Local beaches in the US cities of Ocean City and Avalon in New Jersey were closed on and off for much of the first week of September due to medical waste contamination. Authorities were not willing to take any chances after a large number of syringes were found in the sand with other medical supplies. The discovery of just one syringe was enough to force the closure of the entire beach on some days, only to reopen after cleanups and sweeps by police, firefighters, lifeguards, and public works crews to confirm that no additional medical waste had been found. Health authorities said they were concerned that contact with the needles could result in tetanus.

Here in Hong Kong, just last month, concerned residents decided it was time to contact the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) after discovering more than just a few syringes and other medical supplies scattered across a local beach during beach cleanups over the past two years. In stark contrast to the reaction of the authorities in New Jersey, the EPD of Hong Kong concluded that there was no cause for alarm. Based on observation of labels and the type of medical supplies, it became apparent that much of the waste was drifting over from the Mainland. Authorities ruled out illegal dumping, and admitted there was nothing they could do about it. Although the beach in question is not a gazetted beach, it is frequented by families with small children, people walking dogs, and local fisherman. Despite this fact, the EPD did not consider the medical waste, including syringes, needles, and glass vials containing medicine, hazardous enough to prompt any further action.

The situation is an unfortunate one, where Mainland officials are known to blame Hong Kong for litter washing onto their shores as much as Hong Kong officials blame China for a lack of waste management control in coastal areas. There is a definite need to raise awareness and to educate the masses about the negative impacts of marine pollution on the environment, human health, and marine life -- A tough task, especially since there is first a need to change the mindset of the authorities.

If you find any medical waste on a beach in Hong Kong, do not hesitate to report the incident to the EPD. The government of Hong Kong must take more responsibility and action to prevent marine pollution in local waters and beaches for the safety of citizens and the conservation of natural environments and marine life. Not only does medical waste contamination inflict danger to swimmers and beach goers, it contaminates the water and poses a threat to marine life. No marine litter is ever acceptable. To report any incidents, call the EPD pollution service hotline at 2838 3111 and demand immediate action.

With members of the local community, we strive to continue to raise the issues and demand action for marine debris and pollution to the EPD, the Marine Department, and the Food Environmental Hygiene Department. This is not an isolated case, with many other beaches in Hong Kong suffering a similar fate. Raise awareness and encourage positive action!

POLYSTYRENE ON BEACHES

Large quantities of polystyrene are washed up onto the shores of local beaches every day. Along with other plastic litter, it not only adversely affects the beaches, but water quality and marine life as well. TheWayToGo is co-organizing a beach cleanup with local green group DB Green on Nim Shue Wan and Cheung Sha Lan beaches on Lantau Island, Hong Kong on June 29, 2008. By taking part in this meaningful event, we hope to raise awareness to the issues of marine debris, in particular, polystyrene ('Styrofoam'). According to DB Green, at past beach cleanups, including last year's International Coastal Cleanup, polystyrene pieces was recorded as one of the top rubbish items collected by quantity at the beaches. We feel that the problem needs to be tackled at the source and believe the only way is to reduce the use of this product.

Our Goals:

• To raise awareness to the challenges of proper disposal and recycling of polystyrene – a contributing factor to the polystyrene marine debris problem.
• To raise awareness to the overall negative environmental and human health impacts of using polystyrene.

For more information on the negative environmental and health impacts of polystyrene, check out our Polystyrene Fact Sheets.