An abandoned, hollowed out fire hydrant sits by an overgrown path in a forest. Its red paint, though faded and patchy, is incongruous against a backdrop of greens, greys and browns. Although it is only a few minutes’ walk from Lai Tak Tsuen, a public housing estate in Tai Hang, the forest feels dense and secluded, but all around is the debris of human habitation.  

The ground is littered with loose tiles, vinyl flooring, broken glass, wrecked appliances, plastic flip-flops, discarded toys, and so many bottles—beer bottles, rice wine bottles, soda bottles with 1980s logos. Unnatural rectangular forms protrude from the slopes—cracked concrete platforms, partially demolished walls, building foundations and water tanks with plastic drainpipes still sticking out of them.

Read the research story behind the video here.