Hong Kong is losing ground on solid waste management

Hong Kong needs to step up its solid waste management. The special administrative region’s long list of environmental legislation notwithstanding — including the Air Pollution Control Ordinance, Waste Disposal Ordinance, Water Pollution Control Ordinance, Noise Control Ordinance, Ozone Layer Protection Ordinance, Dumping at Sea Ordinance, Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance, Hazardous Chemicals Control Ordinance, Product Eco-responsibility Ordinance, and the Motor Vehicle Idling (Fixed Penalty) Ordinance — the city is still far behind the curve in solid waste management.

We still do not have a state-of-the-art incinerator and have to depend on landfill as the principal method of waste disposal; and our recycling rate is appallingly low. Whereas Germany and Singapore respectively recycle 65 percent and 61 percent of their solid waste, Hong Kong is reportedly recycling only about 35 percent. Moreover, as Peter Kammerer noted in his South China Morning Post article last year, “fully 98 percent of the city’s recycled solid waste is exported to the mainland and elsewhere”. We therefore hardly have a recycling industry at home. Sadly, Hong Kong prefers to dump its solid waste in landfill sites, literally just covering up the problem. In contrast, Germany doesn’t rely on landfills at all. Singapore does have one landfill, but because only the ashes from incinerator plants — significantly shrunk from the original volumes — are dumped there, its landfill is both more efficient and less of an environmental hazard compared to Hong Kong’s.

It is noteworthy that Singapore aims to recycle 70 percent of its solid waste by 2030, up from the current 61 percent, as set out in the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint. It is also noteworthy that Singapore offers “Cash for Trash” collections so residents can exchange recyclable items for cash. Even more noteworthy is that Singapore’s recycling program is much more transparent than ours. The recycling bins in Housing and Development Board estates are emptied and contents collected either thrice a week or daily, while the private landed properties and condominiums are served with weekly recycling collection and weekly or twice weekly garden waste collection. Under the National Recycling Programme launched in April 2001, the public waste collectors licensed by the National Environmental Agency are required to provide recycling bins and recycling collection services to all HDB estates. Private apartments typically would join the public waste collection scheme, as providing for such service is mandatory but running the service requires economies of scale.

It would not be fair to say the SAR government is not paying attention to boosting recycling and minimizing waste. The government has developed a 20-hectare EcoPark for recyclers to lease at affordable rent. The government has also made available 16 berths in public cargo working areas for exclusive bidding by waste paper recyclers for sorting, processing and preparing waste papers for shipment to the mainland. Recycling bins are also a familiar sight in Hong Kong. It has also set up a Recycling Fund. Some $20 million has been earmarked for assisting the recycling industry to upgrade its processing capability to meet the requirements needed to export plastic waste to the mainland. I believe, however, that there is a compelling case to significantly increase funding for recycling, waste minimization, and waste treatment. The argument is based on the fact that recycling, waste reduction, and waste treatment contribute to sustainable development and benefit all. Recycling and waste minimization do not have to generate profit to be worthwhile.

Sadly for Hong Kong and for the ecological system, people are losing trust in the recycling process. Even though recycling bins for plastics, metal, and paper are a common sight in our city, it is not known who will empty and collect the contents and how often the contents are collected. Recycling bins are often full, and they are also often used as refuse bins, especially when the refuse bins next to them are full. In contrast, in Singapore, licensed public waste and refuse collectors serve designated areas with trucks carrying clear labels for refuse collection, recycling collection, and garden waste collection. The operations in Singapore are highly transparent.

I have seen advertising on the TV advising people to properly dispose of their used light bulbs and batteries. Unfortunately it is not clear where these items are supposed to be returned. I looked up information about collection points in the Environmental Protection Department’s website, and discovered that there are two collection points in my street. I rang up the management office of the apartment building that is supposed to be a collection point, but the people who answered my call did not even seem to know about it. I have a friend who lives in that apartment building. I was disappointed to learn that he was not aware of its management office having been given such a role.

Hong Kong is falling behind badly in the use of modern incinerators to reduce the volume and the toxicity of solid waste. Singapore’s newest — and sixth — incinerator will start operations next year. Hong Kong has to wait until 2024 to have its first-ever modern incinerator-cum-power generation plant. Meanwhile, we have to put up with occasional leakage of toxic material from our landfill sites.