Hikers leave masks, test kits in hills: green group

As more people take to hiking to try to avoid crowded places amid Covid-19 outbreaks, a green group said they have left rubbish, including masks and used self-test kits, in the countryside.

The Green Earth conducted 79 cleanups between January and March, and collected around 15,000 pieces of rubbish in total.

More than 4,500 pieces of tissue, wet tissue and their packaging were found, accounting for 32 percent of the total waste. Cigarette butts and food packaging together accounted for over 40 percent of the rubbish.

A project officer with the group, Antipas Poon, said they also found masks and rapid antigen test kits.

“Masks have become a common trail waste in these days. Tissues, wet tissues or even masks are hard to be decomposed. Some of them were made of plastic, so they only break down into very small pieces,” said Poon.

Meanwhile, Poon said that faeces was also found on many trails.

Poon added that Hong Kong people should be educated to take away their own rubbish from the countryside.

“[When] they go to the countryside, they should learn how to deal with their waste. They don’t need to rely on rubbish bins, but should bring their own waste away.”