Nan Nan there_sun@163.com MORE than 400 volunteers gathered for a waste collection event to mark World Cleanup Day on Saturday. Originating in Estonia 10 years ago, World Cleanup Day has become a global bottom-up civic movement that unites people from all corners of the planet to work together to clean trash Sept. 15. The event, organized by Green Foot, an international environment care community, and Mangrove Conservation Foundation, set Shenzhen Bay as its main venue, with two branch venues on Lianhua Hill and Bijia Mountain. “Rubbish disintegrates in the ocean and can be ingested by marine creatures, and this leads to seafood eaters ingesting tiny pieces of plastic, which could be a long-term health risk,” said American Jason Stine, leader of the Bijia Mountain volunteer team. With more than 40 volunteers, the English-speaking group has expats from America, Malaysia, India and other countries. “Never litter garbage until you find a bin,” said America Robin Lester, adding that she picked up many cigarette ends. Recycling plastic is a problem, so Lester called on people to use things that are made of recycled paper. Children also participated in the event. “It is significant to foster a sense of personal responsibility for the environment,” said volunteer Han Yinming, who took his 6-year-old kids to participate in the event. According to Han, his kids voluntarily pick up rubbish on their way to school. The volunteers were divided into groups and each person in a group was responsible for one type of trash, such as paper products, plastics, metals, glass or food waste. “In trash recycling, every little bit helps make the world cleaner,” said volunteer Michelle He, adding she always shares waste sorting tips with friends. “I hope the authority can intensify education to raise social awareness of the significance of trash recycling.” The event has gathered more than 7,000 volunteers in Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan provinces. |