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La spiaggia dell’isola Sokos sommersa dai rifiuti rigettati dal mare

(EPA/ALEX HOFFORD)

A general view of the east-facing beach on the windward side of South Sokos Island, Hong Kong, China, 27 January 2010. South Sokos Island is one of a very small number of uninhabited islands in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, and because it has no ferry service at all it is rarely visited by anyone. Consequently large amounts of marine-borne plastics build-up over time, with infrequent Hong Kong Government pollution clean-up efforts to tackle the problem. Common items found washed up on the beach at South Sokos Island include; lightbulbs, medical waste, plastic bottles, plastic cigarette lighters, plastic toys, plastic fishing equipment and plastic footwear. Another plastic item frequently found in large quantities on Soko Island, but also on polluted beaches the world over, is the pre-production plastic pellet, or ‘nurdle’, that is used in the manufacturing of plastic products.