The amount of garbage along the Tamsui River (淡水河) and its tributaries has doubled in the past three years, with about 70 percent of it comprised of single-use plastic items, according to the results of a recent survey of the basin released on Thursday by the Society of Wilderness (SOW), a local environmental non-governmental organization.
The waste screening survey was carried out by 36 volunteers on bicycle or foot and covered the entire Tamsui River basin, estuaries and nearby areas, totaling 283.5km.
A total of 56,617 bags (14 liters each) were cleared, 24,318 from the river bank and 32,299 from the coast, SOW marine specialist Hsu Hsiao-chun (徐筱珺) told a news conference.
Photo: Chueh Ching-lun, Taipei Times
Survey data showed that 80 percent of the garbage was concentrated along 6 percent of the riverbank. Due to terrain and vegetation patterns, it mostly accumulated in three sections: Guandu Bridge (關渡大橋) and Lujhou District (廬州) in New Taipei City, and on the right side of Shezidao (社子島) in Taipei, Hsu said.
About 70 percent of the waste on the riverbank came from single-use plastic items. The most common of these were plastic bottles and containers, followed by plastic bags, (including food packaging bags), and disposable tableware (including drink cups and straws), Hsu said.
Compared with the results of a similar survey conducted in 2020, this year’s survey showed that the amount of garbage along the riverbank has increased significantly, from an average of 73 bags of garbage per kilometer three years ago to an average of 156 bags of garbage per kilometer this year, she added.
At the news conference, New Taipei City Environmental Protection Department official Hsu Ming-chih (許銘志) said that the city government would continue to strengthen the promotion of waste reduction, such as promoting the reduction of online shopping packaging.
The SOW suggested that stores be encouraged to reduce the use of disposable items and set up trash cans and other supporting measures.
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