Reviews | Hong Kong should stop worrying about waste charging and focus on recycling

For starters, it would place the environmental health department’s public waste collection points under one centralized authority, making it easier to modernize and integrate the lot across the city. community recycling network currently managed by the Department of Environmental Protection.

By integrating the approximately 170 public waste collection points in urban areas with the 220 recycling points, Hong Kong would have an extensive waste collection and recycling network for its community.

Meanwhile, the Housing Department, responsible for managing the 258 public rental housing estates which accommodate around 2.1 million residents, is also expected to play a role in waste management.

06:46

Hi-tech versus low-tech: Hong Kong to lose its only beverage carton recycler to a microelectronics center

The government, with the support of the Department of Environmental Protection, should centralize coordination through the Environment and Ecology Bureau, which holds policy responsibilities.

By tackling the fragmented structure of waste management and promoting institutional reforms, Hong Kong can establish an efficient and comprehensive recycling system that benefits both the environment and society.

The policies needed for reform should be led by Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki, whose work can be divided into three phases, short, medium and long term.

Initially, a thorough understanding is necessary of the city’s public waste collection points, including their number, distribution and location, as well as the distribution of labor in waste management.

06:47

SCMP explains: How does Hong Kong manage its waste?

The first task is to process food wastewhich constitute the largest category of municipal solid waste in Hong Kong.

In 2022, out of 11,130 tons of solid waste, food waste accounted for almost 30%, or around 3,300 tons. The majority, 2,300 tonnes, was domestic waste while the remaining 1,000 tonnes came from commercial and industrial sources including restaurants, hotels, wet markets and food production and processing industries.

The government outsources the management of all this food waste. Waste collectors and recyclers are hired to transport all food waste to processing centers.

For example, around 150 public housing estates have adopted “smart” bins for recycling food waste, which the government rents to suppliers at a monthly cost of around HK$2,000 per bin. The cost of this program is expected to be HK$110 million (US$14.08 million) for the 2024-25 financial year. Such a high cost certainly calls for a review of alternatives.

Could Hong Kong learn from waste collection strategies in Taiwan, Japan, and Singapore? Their practices, with different types of waste collected at designated times and dates, are worth studying.

Overall, the government should not neglect the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation. Hong Kong has 4,400 hectares of agricultural land, of which 3,700 hectares are fallow agricultural land. Turning food waste into fertilizer and making it an essential part of our local agricultural system is a way forward.

The Science Park, EcoPark and local universities should also invest resources in scientific research on recycling and waste treatment to help the government make the best decisions. This will create an industrial ecosystem combining best practices and research.

If Hong Kong succeeds in implementing a system integrating the collection, classification and recycling of waste, as well as the conversion of waste into energy and biofertilizers, its green development project will become reality.

03:36

Japan turns to human waste as fertilizer prices soar

But first, the government must abandon the outsourcing mentality. Such an ambitious project requires the active participation of those responsible. Professional consultants may be called in to help, but in the long run it will be up to government officials to get involved in the research process and field studies to ensure accountability.

In this regard, some responsibilities will fall on Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing. It must continue to carry out institutional reforms for effective waste management. It should also ensure the reformulation of rules and regulations on waste classification by analyzing the existing system and the proposed waste pricing system, while researching new recycling technologies.

Furthermore, members of the Legislative Council and district councils should help the government resolve problems and address challenges, instead of just criticizing policies. They can propose solutions based on the conditions of their respective neighborhoods, taking into account factors such as the prevalence of public or private housing. Adapting the waste collection model to the circumstances of each neighborhood will improve the efficiency of the entire recycling ecosystem.

A strong recycling framework is also a boon for the green industry. A Legco report revealed that in South Korea, for examplea concerted effort to increase the recycling rate saw revenues from its recycling industry soar from HK$1.7 billion in 2001 to HK$7 billion in 2009.

Hong Kong should lead by example and promote the recycling industry; THE circular economyThe “waste to wealth” mantra is not an exaggeration. Raising environmental awareness through recycling can strengthen social cohesion and cultivate a sense of belonging – a rewarding policy in more ways than one.

Mathias Woo is co-artistic director and executive director of Zuni Icosahedron