Your Voice: Bioplastics are not the answer to Hong Kong’s environmental problems; the history of chess (long letters)

Plastics are a major environmental challenge in Hong Kong. To reduce the amount of single-use plastics, the government has increased the minimum levy on plastic shopping bags from 50 HK cents to HK$1. Some businesses have also chosen to use bioplastics as part of their efforts to reduce waste, with supermarket chain City’super being a prominent user of biodegradable plastics.

However, it is not yet certain whether bioplastics are the solution to the plastic crisis. Further research is needed to determine their true environmental impact.

In 2020, 21 per cent of municipal solid waste in Hong Kong was plastic and only 7 per cent was recycled, making it unsustainable. Additionally, data from Greenpeace shows that plastic density in Hong Kong’s coastal waters is 65 times higher than that of the South China Sea. Conventional plastics can remain in the environment for a long time, releasing hazardous microplastics that can accumulate in food chains, including our own.

Your Voice: Hong Kong should make all plastics biodegradable to save its oceans

Bioplastics encompass three types of plastics: bio-based but non-biodegradable; fossil fuel-based but biodegradable; and bio-based and biodegradable. Conventional plastics, such as PE and PET, are mostly non-biodegradable and fossil fuel-based. Bio-based, non-biodegradable plastics offer environmental benefits by reducing the use of finite fossil fuels and limiting emissions from plastic production. For instance, bioethanol can be used to produce polythene for plastic bags and bottles.

Although bioplastics may bring environmental improvement on a long-term scale, they are unable to mitigate the damage caused by environmental run-off to the marine environment, as they degrade in the same manner as conventional plastics.

Biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) plastics are said to be environmentally friendly, but they require high temperatures, microorganisms and oxygen to completely break down in 60 days.

Biodegradation of bioplastics in the sea is practically impossible due to low surface temperatures and low concentrations of PLA-degrading microorganisms in seawater. Similarly, anaerobic conditions in Hong Kong’s landfills prevent biodegradable plastics from breaking down, meaning they behave in the same way as conventional plastics.

Composting is the most effective way to treat biodegradable plastics, but Hong Kong’s only anaerobic composting facility, O.PARK1, is for food waste only. Recycling bioplastics in existing facilities would contaminate the streams and render batches unsuitable for further use, so they would be disposed of in landfills with limited environmental benefit.

Incentivising the use of bioplastics may not be the ideal approach to tackle plastic pollution in Hong Kong. Without adequate composting facilities to process bioplastic waste, bioplastics can end up in landfills and waterways. It is important to recognise the potential consequences of using bioplastics, as their environmental impact may not be straightforward. To effectively reduce plastic pollution in Hong Kong, new infrastructure must be developed to process bioplastic waste.

Should Hong Kong ban single-use plastic tableware?

Ethan Woo Yin-chit, Diocesan Boys’ School Primary Division; Nayab Qureshi, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

From Queen’s Gambit to the chess.com bot Luk.AI based on the NBA all-star Luka Doncic, chess has been making waves recently.

Appreciation for chess has skyrocketed since the release of the Netflix show Queen’s Gambit in 2020. Even MrBeast took part in an online chess tournament called PogChamps hosted by chess.com. Twitch streamers followed suit and began streaming themselves playing chess.

I started learning chess at the end of 2021. Since then, my addiction to chess has never stopped growing, and my skills have improved. I picked up chess because most of my classmates know how to play it. My school has even opened a new chess zone.

Chess has made me lots of new friends, both online and offline, and we chat about different chess openings every day. One thing I learned from playing chess is that you have to prepare for everything. You never know what tactics your opponents will use, so it is crucial to be prepared for any situation.

Chess originated in ancient India. It was once a two-player war game, Chaturanga. It spread to Europe through Persian traders. This is where the major transformations in the game took place. The piece next to the king, originally known as the male counsellor to the king, was soon given more romantic imagery as the queen.

Grandmaster is the title given to chess players with an Elo rating (a measure of skill) of over 2,500. The best chess player today, with an Elo of 2,852, is the reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen. Alireza Firouzja made headlines when he became the fourth-best chess player in the world at the age of 18, an achievement held by no other player.

Each modern chess piece has a medieval European name. The pawns on the board represent serfs or labourers. They were the least protected and were considered property by the landowners who “owned” them. They worked hard and were often sacrificed. The castle-like pieces, the rooks, are refuges – a safe haven from war.

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Knights were soldiers hired to protect people of higher rank. They are more valuable than pawns, but their goal is still to be sacrificed. Bishops represent the church. Religion was a powerful part of society in medieval times, so religion spilled into the game. Bishops are priests who have risen through the ranks.

The queen is the only piece representing a woman and is the most powerful piece on the board. A queen in medieval times held a powerful yet precarious position. She was an adviser to the king but was at risk of being locked away by the king at any time. Thus medieval queens were known for scheming in court to hold their positions. The machinations of queens working either for or against their kings are well noted in history, and sometimes, a queen held just as much power as the king did.

The king is the most well-defended piece. The surrender of a king would mean the fall of a kingdom. It was everyone’s duty, from the lowest rank to the highest, to protect the king from harm. If you do not protect your king in a game of chess, you lose.

Chess has been played for centuries and is still thriving today. It’s never too late to start your chess journey. You might become the next grandmaster!