26th November 2025 - (Hong Kong) Ngong Ping in Ma On Shan, a popular destination for hiking and camping, was found strewn with rubbish over the weekend (22nd November), with an unofficial campsite transformed into a dumping ground. Food waste and packaging were scattered across the grassland, marring the natural scenery. The mess is believed to have resulted from campers failing to handle food and refuse properly, attracting wild boars to forage. One concerned hiker took it upon himself to clean up, urging the public -- especially the growing number of visitors -- to pack out all their waste and refrain from lighting fires, in line with basic countryside etiquette.
The hiker said he camped alone at Ngong Ping on Friday (21st November). At sunset, he left the official campsite to watch the sun go down from a nearby open meadow used informally by campers; at that time, the grass was still clean.
As night fell, he repeatedly heard screams in both Putonghua and Cantonese, along with shouts attempting to drive away wild boars and the sound of boisterous activity from the meadow. He noted that large wild boars are frequently seen in the area and are easily drawn by the smell of food. He suspects campers on the meadow mishandled their provisions, leading to confrontations between people and boars.
The next morning at about 9am (22nd November), while packing to descend, he discovered the meadow covered in refuse. A strong stench hung in the air. He believes wild boars had raided rubbish and leftover food from the previous night's campers and spread the debris while scavenging. Most of the waste comprised food scraps and various types of food packaging.
The litter -- predominantly kitchen waste and food wrappers -- blanketed an area roughly half the size of a volleyball court. Describing the situation as "filthy", he worried that increased weekend footfall would worsen the problem and risk normalising such behaviour.
He observed a marked rise in visitors from the mainland joining group hikes and camping trips in recent years, with corresponding surges in waste. Among the discarded items were numerous bottles and packages bearing simplified Chinese characters.
Concerned that the smell would attract more wild boars, cattle and rats, he decided to help with the clean-up. As he had little personal rubbish and spare capacity in his bags, he collected the scattered waste, filling a large supermarket plastic bag in just over ten minutes.
He added that some visitors seemed puzzled by the lack of bins at scenic spots and assumed "someone else will deal with it". He attributed recurring problems -- littering, scorched grass and noise -- to limited awareness of outdoor ethics, such as proper handling of food waste to avoid wildlife interactions, safe fire practices and keeping noise low in tranquil environments. He appealed to all countryside users to carry out their rubbish, avoid open fires and observe basic respect for nature.