Letters | Space-starved Hong Kong can free up more land by reducing waste. Why is the government stalling?
- The amount of solid municipal waste disposed per capita is at its highest level since 1991
- Mainland China’s stricter policies on the import of waste worsen Hong Kong’s predicament and make the city vulnerable to becoming a dumping ground for foreign trash
Many types of waste, such as paper, plastic and glass, have increased at different levels compared to 2017 – 6.7 per cent, 10.3 per cent and 3 per cent respectively. Worryingly, the export recycling rate for PET bottles has plummeted from 6.8 per cent in 2017 to 0.2 per cent in 2018.
There are plastic recycling bins placed in both public spaces and private premises to allow government contractors and private recyclers to process this waste before it is sent abroad. But does the existing recycling system work?
Environment Minister Wong Kam-sing announced in 2018, as part of a commitment in the policy address, that within three years, the government would install 500 water dispensers to promote the “bring your own bottle” concept. A year later, the public is still waiting to see the first new dispenser installed.
Fortunately, the three leading local beverage producers have moved much quicker than the government, despite having to go through red tape. They have so far installed over 90 dispensers.
Less waste disposal would mean more land available for housing and other social needs. This is an urgent task confronting the Environment Bureau and indeed the whole administration.
Edwin Lau Che-feng, executive director, The Green Earth