PINGTUNG (TVBS News) — The Environmental Protection Bureau of Pingtung County announced on Monday (March 4) that they had cleared 3,100 plastic bottles from remote coastlines, imploring the public to reduce the use of single-use plastic waste.
On March 1 and 2, under the leadership of Director-General Yan Hsing-yuan, the Bureau conducted beach clean-ups at the Chufongbi coast and the Mount Nanren Ecological Reserve Area. The Bureau discovered that due to factors such as ocean currents and terrain, a significant amount of marine litter has accumulated along these shorelines.
The Bureau highlighted that ocean litter, often consumed by marine creatures such as sea turtles, whales, dolphins, and seabirds, can inflict significant harm on the environment. Discarded fishing nets, in particular, often entangle and kill marine life. Furthermore, plastic waste, unable to naturally decompose, breaks down into microplastics, invisible to the naked eye. These particles can return to our tables through the food chain, posing a potential threat to human health.
Limiting participation for safety reasons, no more than 20 people participated in the clean-up activities. The Bureau stated that much of the marine debris comes from overseas and hopes to raise public awareness about the issue through these cleaning events. It encourages people to reduce the use of disposable containers as a primary solution to this environmental problem.
The Pingtung County government has expressed its commitment to continue conducting clean-up activities aimed at clearing more marine debris, thereby further promoting marine environmental policies.