Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong

With the pandemic showing no signs of ending, disposable masks and numerous hygiene and infection prevention supplies are now daily necessities for all of us. With these items crucial to maintaining social distance, eating takeaways and getting food delivered, we are inevitably producing a large amount of plastic waste. This is creating a heavy toll on the environment and on our city’s ecology.

Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong has always been committed to promoting the importance of protecting our environment. Considering that plastic waste is the third-largest component of municipal solid waste in Hong Kong, collectively cutting back on plastic consumption is the first step to reducing pollution. In light of this fact, the Association has organised the “No Plastic Seven Day Challenge” in the hopes of motivating people to commit to a plastic-free lifestyle.

Based on the estimation that between four million and six million disposable face masks are used in Hong Kong every day and that each face mask weighs around two or three grams, the daily weight of face masks thrown away in landfills amounts to some 10 to 15 tonnes. When these estimates are expanded to the global labour force, estimated to be about 3.3 billion people, the amount of face masks disposed every day is astonishing.

Looking at these figures, it is clear that during this pandemic, balancing the prevention of disease with a reduction in resource wastage is a challenge for anyone who cares about the environment.

In 2019, the Association’s Environmental Working Group launched our successful No Plastic Hong Kong (NPHK) campaign, designed to raise public concern about plastic pollution. This year’s campaign focused on the Seven Day Challenge which aims to encourage people to integrate the concept of becoming plastic-free into their daily lives. The campaign asks people to highlight their plastic-free experiences by sharing pictures and posts and tagging their friends on social media for seven days to create a ripple effect.

There are many ways to go plastic free. In addition to using reusable water bottles and cups, and taking our own bags with us when shopping, we can carry reusable utensils with us – thus saying goodbye to disposable plastic cutlery and straws. Taking a broader perspective, we should always try to eat in restaurants, whenever possible, to reduce the use of takeaway containers; but if takeaways are inevitable, we should bring our own food containers for the restaurant to fill. As for grocery shopping, we can bring our own containers for fresh food and a mesh net bag for fruits and vegetables. These approaches may not be the most convenient, but when everyone is willing to take a step further and make being plastic-free a daily habit, we can significantly reduce environmental pollution.

Our NPHK 2020 event will be held on 30 November, with schools and organisations across Hong Kong putting together a variety of “no plastic” themed activities. Everyone is welcome to tune into the NPHK 2020 Event Day online broadcast at 11:00 am via our facebook. This will include a short movie introducing global and local plastic pollution problems; afterwards, we will hold an online quiz about points made in the movie. Everyone is welcome to participate – the first 25 people who answer all the questions correctly will receive a special food bag. Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong hopes to help all Hongkongers build a plastic-free lifestyle that lasts a lifetime.

To learn more about the NPHK 2020 event, please click here.

Earlier this year, the Audio-Visual Division of our Corporate Communications and Marketing Department led a team of volunteers as they participated in a creativity competition on the theme “Maintenance and Appreciation of Historical Buildings”, held by the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors. The Division created a mini-movie using our Bridges Street Centre, a Grade 1 historic building, as the backbone of the story. The team won second place in the public category. Our award-winning movie depicts the memories of a couple at the Bridges Street Centre, showing off the beauty and cultural value of this historic building from multiple angles. Click here to watch our award-winning work of art called “Love.

Click here to watch our award-winning work of art called “Love. Historic Trails.”

Two social enterprises run under the Association’s umbrella, YM Fleur and YM Balloon, are taking part in an event called “Revitalising the Economy, Hong Kong Virtual Exhibitions and Sales 2020” hosted by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service. The event is taking place from mid-November to 31 December of this year and we encourage everyone to take part – you can enjoy online shopping and virtual exhibitions through your mobile phone or desktop computer!

Click here to enter the “YM Balloon” virtual exhibition and sales site
Click here to enter the “YM Fleur” virtual exhibition and sales site