Top photo credit: Wisconsin State Journal
Here’s a riddle for you: what is one thing that wades through oceans, piles on mountains, flaps on trees and glides over the busy streets of cities? Answer: plastic bags (I know – I’m very fun at parties).
The 21st century is the age of convenience, but this easy lifestyle has also become synonymous with damage to the environment. It is estimated that over one million bags are used every minute, accumulating to approximately 500 billion bags used annually worldwide. In Hong Kong alone, 14 million plastic bags are disposed of per day. Many of these end up in landfills and take hundreds of years to break down, while others slip into the oceans, harm marine life and circle back into our own food chain.
Photo credit: SCMP
ImpactHK, a local non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting the homeless, will be holding an event in collaboration with @thezerowastechallenge, an Instagrammer documenting life as a zero waster in Hong Kong. Together, they will try to raise awareness about the alarming situation of single-use plastic bags while also helping the homeless.
The idea behind the campaign is to make sleeping mats made entirely of plastic bags and to give them out to the homeless in Sham Shui Po. The campaign will involve three stages and three groups of volunteers:
• Collectors
As many plastic bags as possible are to be collected, with collection points set up closer to the date of the event. Reach out to everyone you can and gather all the excess plastic bags that will otherwise end up threatening our ecosystem.
• Prep Team
This team will be in charge of operation on the day of the event, from organising the bags to cutting, tying and rolling them up into balls before passing them on to the crochet team.
• Crochet Team
This team will require volunteers with skills in crochet or needlework and will be responsible for weaving the plastic yarn into sleeping mats. Click here to see how it’s done.
THE EVENT
When: Saturday, 22 October, 10am–4pm (snacks and drinks will be provided)
Where: DreamLikeBubbles, 7/F, 36 Belcher’s Street, Kennedy Town
Delivering the ‘kindness mats’: from 4pm onwards
For more info and to RSVP: go to Facebook
