Waste Audit Summary: Sept-Dec 2023

In the second half of 2023, TrailWatch partnered with companies, organisations and members of the public to conduct Waste Audits on various hiking trails in Hong Kong. These included backyard trails in Tseung Kwan O, Lamma Island, the Rotary Club Park Nature Trail in Tsuen Wan, and the Tsz Sha Ancient Trail. This year’s Waste Audits on backyard trails in Tseung Kwan O – the Little Hawaii Trail and Duckling Hill, could be compared to previous Waste Audit activities on the same routes, providing further insights into the types of rubbish found on hiking trails, and changes in littering or waste dumping behaviours. Through the Waste Audit programme, TrailWatch aims to quantify the amount of rubbish removed from hiking trails., By sharing this data publicly, we can remind hikers about the importance of practising "Leave No Trace" principles, and encourage everyone to take action to protect the countryside.

Since the pandemic, we have seen changes to the types of rubbish found and removed from hiking trails during Waste Audit activities. Previously, the top three types of rubbish were plastic bottles, anti-pandemic items and food packaging. However, we are now finding more cigarette butts, tissue paper, and food packaging. Based on our observations and experience from the past two years, cigarette butts, tissue paper, and food packaging have a significant impact on cleanliness, the landscape, and wildlife in the countryside. Cigarette butts, in particular, can even pose a risk of causing hill fires, threatening the natural environment.

During the Waste Audit on one of the Tseung Kwan O backyard trails, a total of 115 cigarette butts were found next to outdoor fitness facilities in a pile of dried leaves.

Cleaning up tiny BB pellets from the soil takes more time than other types of rubbish.

Participants discovered a cassette tape during the Waste Audit at the Tsz Sha Ancient Trail.

Over the past three years, the TrailWatch team, along with over 250 participants, has cleaned up at least 14,000 pieces of rubbish (approximately 288kg), averaging around 1kg of rubbish per participant. Over a hundred pieces of rubbish that are categorised as "other" were collected in each of the Waste Audits this year. Whenever participants come across peculiar objects, lively discussions ensue as everyone tries to imagine how these items ended up in the countryside.

The experience of the past three years has given us a better understanding of the distribution of rubbish on the trails. The backyard trails are consistently littered with toothpicks and wet wipes, likely originating from nearby restaurants. It also seems like there are endless BB pellets to clean up at the Gough Battery and BBQ Site of the Tsz Sha Ancient Trail.

These Waste Audits wouldn’t be possible without your help. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the friends who have repeatedly participated in Waste Audit activities. We also thank the collaborating companies and organisations for enabling more people to experience a Waste Audit. Through these activities, they have fostered team cohesion and synergy while actively working to improve the environment of hiking trails. They have also contributed by reporting large-scale waste dumping and promoting the importance of "Leave No Trace" principles.

In addition to cleaning up the trail, the Waste Audit on the Little Hawaii Trail also included some cultural education. Participants had the opportunity to learn about the history of the trail and were introduced to various historical sites along the backyard trails.