Taipei, Dec. 11 (CNA) A Taiwanese environmental group launched a creative guidebook Tuesday that lists 101 types of marine debris found in local waters, to educate the public about such waste and the importance of keeping shorelines clean.
The Guidebook of Marine Debris, published by the environmental group RE-THINK, includes pictures and information about 101 types of marine litter spotted in the seas around Taiwan, including yellow rubber ducks, plastic sandals, PET bottles, fishing floats, disposable cups, videotapes and toys.
The oldest item pictured is a military ration pack dating back to 1988.
RE-THINK co-founder Jason Huang estimated Tuesday that the amount of plastic trash scattered on the beaches around Taiwan could fill 150,000 large plastic bags.
But he said that beach cleanups are not enough and that the public should get to know more about the trash and how it got into the ocean in the first place.
He said the guidebook's corresponding website was designed with the concept of Pokemon Go in mind. The website transforms the marine litter into ocean monsters and allows users to have a 360-degree view of the litter, Huang said.
Huang said his group plans to hold 20 education sessions next year to teach the public more about ocean trash. It also hopes to introduce board games in the future to teach children about environmental protection, he said.
The guidebook and its website were jointly launched by RE-THINK, RC Culture and Arts Foundation and Citibank Taiwan.
RE-THINK was launched in 2013 by Huang and Daniel Gruber and is dedicated to cleaning up Taiwan's beaches and raising awareness about coastal preservation.
