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■郊野公園的樹上掛有不少被棄的螢光棒，棒中的有毒物質一旦流出，可污染環境。
Hong Kong's country parks become “serious disaster areas” after the Mid-Autumn Festival every year as a result of heavy littering by holiday revelers and this year makes no exception. Local environmental group Green Power said on Thursday (September 27) they had again found numerous health hazards and even unconsumed moon cakes. The organization estimated the total number of moon cakes thrown away by local residents this year could top 2.17 million, enough to fill up six standard swimming pools.
Another worrisome highlight of hazardous waste is the increase of florescent toys such as colorful light sticks (wands) and flexible lines, which Green Power believe could pose a health threat to the society once the harmful substances inside those discarded festive ornaments leak out.
The group’s Director of Science and Nature Preservation Dr. Cheng Luk-ki said on Wednesday (September 26) his colleagues found out in a recent survey of 340 households that each of them had bought on average 2.4 boxes of moon cakes and would throw away almost a complete moon cake (0.97) during the traditional festival. The same average last year and in 2004 was 0.9 and 0.8 respectively.
Assuming 80 percent of moon cakes come in tin boxes, Hong Kong’s 2.23 million households would have bought 4.6 million tin boxes and thrown away 2.17 million moon cakes during this past Mid-Autumn holiday, Cheng added.
In addition to wasted food, he said, the percentage of revelers who threw away florescent toys during the “Moon Festival” also surpassed last year’s figure, from 33.42 percent to 38.82 percent. “The increase was probably because many parents thought florescent toys were safe compared to traditional candles, but the light sticks are quite dangerous themselves because they can release poisonous chemicals that pollute the environment.” ■春生 資深翻譯員
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