How Can We Solve the Problem of Garbage on Beaches?

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
#1

A bunch of local Taidong residents recently formed an activist group called Only Solutions. The formation of the group was in response to the appalling build up of garbage on local beaches - a problem that just seems to be getting worse despite a growing environmental consciousness in Taiwan. (more here: forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopi … 8#p1737208)

We have a clean-up scheduled for Jun 11, 4pm, but the core principle of the group is that we are not here to function as free garbage collectors for the Taidong Council - we want to find a sustainable solution to this problem!

We have opened up two main fronts:

  1. Apply Pressure on Taidong Council to bloody-well do their job and provide serviced rubbish bins at popular local beaches. (However, i should point out that although this is the group’s general position, there are people within the group that disagree with this tactic, and we welcome all veiwpoints)

  2. Launch an education campaign about this problem

Long term foreigners love Taiwan, evidently, by still being here, but some of us also like to complain about certain things that we think could be better. This is a great issue for foreigners to take a lead on and actually do something about it. We know that systems exist for clean beaches, we see the garbage on the beaches here. We can make a difference (in a soft diplomacy kind of way), if we organize, take action, and light a way.

#2

I know in the UK there are a number of campaign groups like surfers against sewage, who do a lot to help raise awareness, pressure the government and keep our beaches clean.
I would try contacting them or similar groups. Some of them have been around quite some time now and have a wealth of knowledge that could help.

#3

[quote=“ShutUpLegs”]I know in the UK there are a number of campaign groups like surfers against sewage, who do a lot to help raise awareness, pressure the government and keep our beaches clean.
I would try contacting them or similar groups. Some of them have been around quite some time now and have a wealth of knowledge that could help.[/quote]

Yeah, thanks for that. We contacted a similar group from Ilan - that had some great advice re Clean-Ups, but we are hoping to go beyond that to an actual Solution - that doesn’t involve us being free garbage collectors for the rest of our lives!

Regarding the pressure on government - we are not quite sure how to go about that. There is a mountain of paperwork to complete as a first step - to document what is as plain as the nose your face if anyone from the council cared enough to go down and take a look. We will plug on with that but hopefully we can also find a way to draw attention to their lack of action and force them to do something. We don’t want to be too militant, coz a movement container so many foreigners might be counter-productive - but we do want some action!

1 Like
#4

FYI
There is a Free beer and food
and marine debris beach clean up
tomorrow 16th December 2017
organized by a bar in Fengyuan
north of Taichung city
3 Giants Brewing Co
to clean up a beach near Da’an

It’s never too late to register and join!

2 Likes
#5

By 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.

As for garbage on beaches, very little seems to be locally generated (maybe bientang boxes from beach users (like fishermen). The vast bulk washes ashore from fishing boats who truly don’t give a shit about the crap they toss overboard.

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#6

I’d like to join even if urodacus is right… Most of the garbage here comes from elsewhere… Which doesn’t mean that we have to let the garbage stay there

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#7

Stay dry and warm guys.

It’s going to get cold and very wet tonight.

#8

Ooooops, December? dunno why I read January O_o

I can’t join, would love to do it though.

#9

There’s a group going to fulong to do a clean up on 23 Dec , can search on Facebook.

#10

In different areas and countries the source will be different. I suspect a large amount is from fishermen in Taiwan (Taiwan has very good recycling and household waste management in general ) but in many countries you can see its run off from the cities or landfills literally falling into the ocean.

I saw this on the BBC and thought you should see it:

Ocean plastic a ‘planetary crisis’ - UN - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-42225915

#11

Fulong… the private or the public one? I’m not cleaning a piece of land that should be public and is private. Also I don’t like that beach and people who operate or hang out there :stuck_out_tongue:

#12

I live in Okinawa. Here, various people clean beaches in populous areas daily (council, beach patrol), less populous weekly (like our university volunteer group), and remote beaches yearly or not at all (volunteer or town office, mostly). On remote beaches, which I often camp on and get to by kayak or small sail boat, we see almost 100% Chinese trash (that’s mainlander trash, judging by the simplified characters). I no longer take a lot of stuff camping, because I can always build a shelter from stuff like fishing poles, etc. A shame.

Well, there’s also a small amount of Taiwanese stuff, TBH. and some Viet, or Malay or Filipino stuff, but that’s generally been in the water way longer and floats here on the Kuroshio current. brands on alcohol and drink bottles, toothbrushes, shoes, fishing gear: predominantly Chinese.

We have some research going on about nanoplastics and effects on ocean plankton. Dire stuff, all the way down the food chain.

#13

global problem unfortunately.