"Two-thirds of the plastic bottles that green groups found on beaches in Hong Kong and Taiwan had simplified Chinese labels instead of ones in traditional Chinese characters.
The bottles, believed to be manufactured in the mainland, are believed to have floated to the beaches.
The Green Earth conducted 10 surveys in August on beaches in Hong Kong, including Lap Sap Wan in Shek O, Lamma Island, Sai Kung and Sha Tau Kok. It undertook the polls with several green groups in Taiwan, which conducted four similar surveys on beaches across the strait, including Penghu, Wanli and Keelung.
A total of 5,254 plastic bottles were found, according to the surveys. But of the 4,441 bottles that were identified, 66 percent had simplified Chinese labels, while 28 percent had traditional Chinese characters.
Thirty-three percent of the bottles in simplified Chinese bore the Master Kong's label, followed by Wahaha, Nongfu Spring and C'est Bon at 16, 14 and 13 percent, respectively. More than 30 other brands were also identified.
In Taiwan, 85 percent of the bottles that were found contained simplified Chinese labels. Of the 1,776 plastic bottles that were found on beaches in Hong Kong, 38 percent had simplified Chinese labels, while 55 percent displayed labels in traditional Chinese. Other bottles that were found had different languages on the labels.
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An Environmental Protection Department study in 2015 showed that only five percent of marine waste was from the mainland, while 95 percent was produced locally. However, Hahn Chu Hon-keung, Green Earth's director of environmental advocacy, disputed the ratio, saying the EPD should review its study methods as the surveys found that 38 percent of the bottles came with simplified Chinese labels."
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news.php?id=199752
http://greenearth-hk.org
