Data on waste useful

My letter was published on 6 Aug 06 in The Sunday Times.

AS A frequent user of East Coast Park, I am – like letter writer Kun Xiaoyi (“Beach marred by garbage”; The Sunday Times, July 30) – bothered by waste along the beach. The problem of beach waste is not new. In fact, last year’s International Coastal Clean-up saw a collection of 48,056 waste items by volunteers covering 8,950 sq m of East Coast Park - about five items picked up per square metre.

The annual coastal clean-up serves as a gauge of the waste problem. However, more frequent waste data collection should be done by the authorities. The Litter-Free Parks programme was officially launched by the National Parks Board and the National Environment Agency at East Coast Park in 2003. Do they monitor waste collected at the park to assess whether the amount of waste is increasing or decreasing?

Data collection is an important component in tackling the waste problem. With increased knowledge of the amount and type of waste, the waste source can be better located: whether it is generated from park users, fishermen, campers, ships, from drains or from overseas. Specific programmes can then be implemented to reduce the waste generation.

Besides waste data collection, education of park users on proper disposal of waste is also necessary.