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China’s trash ruins
Taiwanese islands
WASTE NOT: The rubbish that has been
accumulating on the beaches of Kinmen and Matsu has been increasing, and
officials caution it has damaged fragile ecosystems
Staff writer, with CNA
Trash from China that washes up on the beaches of Taiwanese islands such as
Kinmen and Matsu has long created headaches for cleanup workers.
The state of one Matsu beach, covered with plastic bottles and food packaging
from popular Chinese brands, shocked and embarrassed a group of Chinese exchange
students who recently took part in a beach cleanup activity there.
Just over 100 students from Minjiang University in China’s Fujian Province have
studied at the Chinese Culture University in an exchange program in the past
year.
They recently concluded their studies and, before departing, helped clean up a
beach in Matsu’s Chuluo (珠螺) coastal region arranged by the Tourism Bureau.
Many of the students were surprised to see the large amounts of garbage drifting
along the shoreline and strewn on the beach.
The waste included packaging of consumer goods ubiquitous in their daily lives,
including plastic packs of Master Kong instant noodles and the famous Fuzhou
fish balls, as well as plastic bottles of brand-name soft drinks from China.
Lee Chien-hsun (李建勳), a Matsu National Scenic Area Administration official, said
many of the Chinese students expressed sorrow about the beach pollution caused
by litter from China, which is less than a kilometer away from some of the
islets of the Matsu group.
Some of the students sang the TV commercial theme songs of products familiar to
them when they spotted items they recognized, Lee said.
One of the students, Bi Baibai (畢白白), wrote in a post on a Chinese microblogging
site that she would have been unable to imagine the extent of the litter if she
had not seen it with her own eyes.
She also wrote that she felt ashamed that her compatriots’ behavior had caused
so much cross-border environmental pollution.
“Although the cleanup program has ended, the shocking feeling I felt [when
seeing the litter] remains fresh in my mind. With a feeling of shame, I picked
up trash that had floated across the Taiwan Strait to Matsu from my home
province,” Bi wrote.
“Seeing all this familiar trash, I could not help but think that Matsu residents
have been forced to find out about popular consumer brands on the mainland by
having it strewn on their land ... I really feel sorry for this littering by the
people in my home,” she added.
Bi’s posting immediately drew an enthusiastic response. Some bloggers said they
felt the cleanup activity was very meaningful and inspiring, while others said
they hope China would devote more energy to proper garbage disposal and be more
strict in implementing garbage classification.
A Chinese Culture University professor said he hopes the program would promote
ecological education, environmental protection, eco-tourism and eco-friendly
lifestyles.
Matsu officials said litter from China has been becoming an increasingly serious
problem as China continues its rapid economic development.
The quantity of waste has been rising, causing huge damage to Matsu’s coastal
scenery, the officials said, adding that more than 1,000 tonnes is removed
manually per year.
Similar problems have also troubled the Penghu Islands, tourism officials said,
adding that the archipelago’s northern coastlines are the most seriously
polluted and that even its uninhabited islets such as Yuanbeiyu (員貝嶼) and
Jishanyu (雞善嶼) have also been affected.
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