Mountain clean-ups should be a last resort, says “Mountain Girl” Melody - a popular environmental influencer among her peers: “Why are we diverting the problem instead of solving it?” Melody is among a group of Hong Kong hikers who have been voluntarily picking up rubbish along the city's rural trails. But whilst it may reduce litter in the mountains, Melody says littering can never be truly tackled if attitudes don’t change. Video: Elvin Yu. | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP

The world is facing an escalating plastic waste crisis, with millions of tons of plastic polluting oceans, rivers, and landscapes every year and linked to severe health consequences. With plastic waste becoming one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time, urgent and collaborative action is required. Organizations like the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) are advocating for a legally binding global treaty on plastic pollution, emphasizing the need for coordinated inte