Doctoral student Wu Cheng-kang (吳正綱) has taken a proactive approach to removing garbage strewn along the banks of a river in Hualien County, by posting images of himself and friends cleaning it up on Facebook, in the hope that “likes” turn into extra pairs of hands.
Wu, 31, said last month he started jogging along the Cijiaochuan River (七腳川溪) in Hualien County’s Jian Township (吉安) to get fit as he was preparing for compulsory military service.
Noticing the refuse littering the river and its banks, Wu said he was reminded of the artist Tommy Kleyn, who last month managed to motivate Facebook users to help him clean up the banks of a river in the Netherlands.
Photo: Wang Chin-yi, Taipei Times
Lin said that after discussing the idea with friends Lin Yi-sheng (林毅昇) and Lee Hao-chang (李豪章), the three decided from April 28 to spend one hour per day removing litter from the riverbanks.
They posted pictures and videos of themselves packing rubbish into bags on Facebook, Wu said, adding that in the following eight days he continued the project alone, spending 30 minutes per day, before other people who “liked” his posts decided to join him.
A Kaohsiung resident who joined Wu after learning of the project via Facebook, Chen Cheng-yi (陳正一), said that Kaohsiung’s Love River (愛河) had been particularly dirty and foul-smelling before the city government organized a campaign to clean it up.
The river is now a tourist attraction, Chen said, adding that Hualien County is renowned for its natural beauty, which should be maintained.
Chou Chieh-shun (周玠順), a second-year junior-high school student, said he also decided to help after he saw Wu’s Facebook page.
Apart from the ubiquitous plastic bags, empty drinks cans and plastic bottles, the group has picked up discarded suitcases, wallets and even pillows, he said
Most of the trash absolutely stank, he said, adding that the smell lingered on his skin even after several attempts to remove it with soap and water.
Jian Township Office construction division head Wu Yin-yu (吳印浴) said that much of the debris floating in the river, which is 11.4km long and flows into the Pacific Ocean, is carried into the river from other areas.
The office urges county residents to refrain from throwing trash into rivers or drains, as the refuse eventually ends up clogging the nation’s waterways and coastlines, he said.
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