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Medical waste must be stopped
Hong Kong is blessed with numerous sandy beaches that may
rival those of island resorts. Sadly, some of our beaches are polluted with
rubbish washed up from the sea or dumped by irresponsible visitors. Recently, a
beach accessible to tens of thousands of residents in Discovery Bay was
littered with hundreds of used syringes and other medical items. Not only is
this a nuisance it also poses a serious threat to public health and safety on
Lantau.
Beaches awash with medical waste are nothing new. This
newspaper was among the first to draw public attention to the problem following
complaints by environmentalists in the early 1990s. Like household garbage,
medical waste used to be dumped in landfills without restrictions. Legislation
forbidding this was enacted in 2006, only after a decade-long campaign. Hospitals
and clinics are now required to send their waste for centralised disposal in
Tsing Yi via licensed contractors.
The infusion bags, vials and syringes found on Sam Pak Wan
beach over the past few months shows something is still amiss. As we thank
volunteers for the regular clean-up, it has to be asked why the garbage ended
up on the shore. It would be an injustice to those who help to keep beaches
clean if the authorities continue to turn a blind eye or sweep the problem
under the carpet.
The government has yet to identify the source. Some items
carried simplified Chinese characters used on the mainland, while the
characters on others were apparently the same as those used in Hong Kong. This
suggests they may originate on both sides of the border. Although we have no
control over waste disposal on the mainland, we have every right to take it up
with authorities there if their rubbish ends up on our doorstep. Officials have
to liaise with the mainland authorities to see whether the problem arises on
their side. Given that our disposal system did not come into force until August
2011, it would also be premature to rule out illegal dumping by the local
industry. Thorough investigation is needed.
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