Extended essay HK government policy

HONG KONG

BLUEPRINT FOR
SUSTAINABLE USE
OF RESOURCES
2013 – 2022
Environment Bureau

May 2013

USE LESS,
WASTE LESS

Contents

TITLE

PAGE

Preface .................................................................................................... 1
Summary ................................................................................................. 2

1 | Our Vision for Sustainable Use of Resources ........................................... 3

2 | Our Challenges & Opportunities ............................................................. 4
3 | The Action Blueprint 2013 - 2022........................................................11
4 | MSW Disposal Rate Reduction Targets by 2022 .....................................18
5 | An Evolving Waste Management Structure ..............................................19
6 | Conclusion.........................................................................................24
Annex .....................................................................................................25
Abbreviation ............................................................................................26

Preface

he types and quantities of waste we generate and dispose of are influenced by economic development, lifestyle and habit. As disposable income and living standard increase, consumption of goods and services correspondingly rise, as does the amount of waste we generate.

T

Hong Kong’s daily per capita domestic waste generation rate is high when compared to cities in Asia at stages of economic development similar to ours. Since the mid-1990s, a number of leading Asian cities have achieved very good results in waste reduction. Their experience tells us that Hong Kong can do very much better if we take coordinated and simultaneous action on waste prevention, reuse, recycling, recovery, treatment and landfilling, as part of a whole resources management chain. Hong Kong has fallen behind because we have only taken some of the steps. We need to urgently fill in the gaps.
We understand what needs to be done and we are committed to taking all the necessary decisions and actions now so that we can put Hong Kong on a clear path, with targets and a timeline, towards a “Use Less, Waste Less” lifestyle. We will put substantial effort in social campaigns to mobilize our citizens to take more environmentally-sustainable actions in their daily lives. We will work with communities and districts, we will collaborate with business stakeholders, and we will encourage NGOs to develop projects as we make this transition together.
Permit me to share one of my personal beliefs. I believe a simpler life is a happier life. We can eat what we need, which can be nutritious and delicious, and not more. There are many opportunities for us to enjoy simplicity. Our homes do not need to be over-designed. We can separate recyclables so we can recover resources. We can work together in our community so that we and future generations can transform and conserve Hong Kong with sustainable and green moves.

KS Wong
Secretary for the Environment
May 2013

–1–

SUMMARY OF HONG KONG BLUEPRINT FOR
SUSTAINABLE USE OF RESOURCES 2013-2022
Vision

Strategy
Use less and waste less of the Earth’s resources through instilling an environmentallysustainable culture into
Hong Kong people’s daily life.

Overall Target
Reduce the
Municipal Solid
Waste (MSW) disposal rate by 40% on a per capita basis by 2022.

Develop a comprehensive waste management plan and promote a new social contract with the community to conserve resources and reduce waste. Policy Directions

1

2

Government to take multiple, concurrent actions to prevent and reduce waste

Make all out efforts to mobilize the community to participate 3

Fill missing gaps in
Hong Kong’s waste-related infrastructure

Key Actions

Drive behavioural change through policies and legislation to reduce waste, such as MSW charging and
Producer Responsibility Schemes
(PRS).

Mobilize the community through targeted campaigns, such as with food waste, glass beverage bottles collection, bring your own bag (BYOB), community green stations etc.

Specific Targets

Target Result

To reduce the current per capita MSW disposal rate of
1.27 kg per day to 0.8kg per day by 2022.

Year

2011

Invest in infrastructure, including
Organic Waste Treatment Facilities
(OWTFs), waste-to-energy MSW treatment, and landfill extensions.

Year

2017

To transform the waste management structure by 2022.

Year

2022

Year

2022
55%
Recycling

1.27kg

1.0kg

0.8kg

23%
22%
Landfilling

-20%

-40%
–2–

Incineration

1 Our Vision for Sustainable Use of Resources resources. When we throw the plastic bottle away, we forget that there had already been very large quantities of waste and emissions generated from its production and transportation including the extractive and manufacturing processes.

A New Social Contract
Our vision is to use less and waste less of the Earth’s resources through instilling an environmentallysustainable culture into Hong Kong people’s daily life.
To achieve this vision, it takes no less than a new social contract between the Government and the people of
Hong Kong. This blueprint proposes a mix of public and community actions. A “Use Less, Waste Less”
Shared Value
A new social contract must be grounded in a clear and widely shared value, which we summarize simply as “Use less, Waste less”.
This value is grounded in the fact that everything we consume has a hidden story – every item has an inventory of the materials and resources that have gone into producing it. For example, the act of creation, such as for a humble beverage plastic bottle, uses enormous amounts of energy, materials, water and other

There is another aspect of our modern life we cannot ignore – the ethical dimension. The consumption lifestyle must be tempered to achieve sustainable development for all – including in high consuming Hong
Kong. Indeed, as a community, we are generating so much waste everyday that we are no longer able to carry on like we have been. We have a waste crisis that needs urgent addressing. The starting point of our new waste policy is to adopt a different attitude to waste in Hong Kong. Our waste stream contains a treasure trove of useful resources, much of which can be reused, recycled and recovered.
At the same time, we must reduce waste at source by cutting down on unnecessary consumption

and promote source separation
– especially with respect to food waste. In our businesses, we must challenge ourselves to find new ways that put less demand on resources.

Waste Less is Everyone’s
Responsibility
Managing waste in any city is an intensive service that involves many activities and people. This blueprint touches upon the entire resource chain although greater emphasis is given to those aspects that must be dealt with urgently because they are the most critical. This includes the completion of a comprehensive system of waste reduction, charging, handling, treatment and disposal for
Hong Kong.
To make the change, we all need to work together – Government,
Business and Community. We need everyone to participate to reach the goal we have set in this plan. When we arrive there, we will have to quicken the pace and go further along the path of “Use less, Waste less”.

This blueprint touches upon the entire resource chain although greater emphasis is given to those aspects that must be dealt with urgently because they are the most critical. This includes the completion of a comprehensive system of waste reduction, charging, handling, treatment and disposal for Hong Kong.

–3–

2 Our Challenges & Opportunities
While dealing with Hong Kong’s waste challenge is a complex exercise, we have the capability to do it because we understand the problem, we can set appropriate policies, and we have the financial resources to take action. Most importantly, we have as yet the untapped potential of mobilizing the people of Hong Kong to change how they deal with waste.

as Hong Kong’s major challenges and opportunities in dealing with waste.

kg to 1.27kg, so not only were there more of us throwing away waste, but we were each throwing away 30% more. The Challenges
1. Large ‘waste load’

We have a large ‘waste load’. Over the years, Hong Kong people have become more, not less, wasteful.
In the past 30 years, our MSW increased by nearly 80% while our population grew by 36% and our
Before we put forward The Action
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Blueprint (2013-2022) in the next increased two fold. Tellingly, the daily chapter, we want to explain what we see per capita MSW rate rose from 0.97

Our wasteful habits put tremendous pressure on the entire waste chain from collection to final disposal. In light of the enormous quantities of waste Hong Kong has to deal with every day, we must prevent and reduce the total amount of waste at source if we are to ease the pressure downstream. Plastics

19%
Paper 22%
Wood/Rattan 4%
Glass 3%
Metal 2%
Textiles 2%

Putrescibles

Household hazardous wastes 1%

44%

Others 3%

FIGURE 1

Composition of MSW in Hong Kong, 2011
Note: The average daily MSW disposal quantity was 9,000 tonnes in 2011.

–4–

2

Our Challenges & Opportunities

waste collectors just lump everything from the recycling bins together and
While many improvements have been made, people question whether take them to the landfill. their efforts in waste separation are
We believe Hong Kong people helping to increase waste recovery.
There are still public concerns about are willing to practice waste separation and recycling but they a range of inadequacies with the want better support. The lack of a quantities, sizes and locations of recycling bins. There are also doubts comprehensive and convenient waste collection system diminishes the being raised about whether some
2. Public distrust

effort people are willing to make. We must improve the front-end of the waste chain through strengthening the waste separation of recyclables and the collection system in order to reinforce public trust.

Hong Kong’s Waste Load Compared
Despite difficulties in making direct comparisons in the MSW disposal rates between cities because of different methods of calculation in waste quantities, the many differences in culture and habits, and different stages of industrial and commercial development, useful insights can still be gleamed from looking at cities’ domestic waste generation rates.
Hong Kong has a comparatively large waste load compared to neighbouring cities at a similar level of development.
Figure 2 compares Hong Kong’s daily domestic waste generation rate with Seoul, Taipei City and Tokyo.

FIGURE 2

Daily domestic waste generation rates per capita compared

METRO
TOKYO

SEOUL
CITY

0.77kg

0.95kg

TAIPEI
CITY

1.00kg

HONG
KONG

1.36kg

Sources: Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department; Ministry of the Environment of Japan; Taiwan environmental authority and Seoul
Metropolitan Government
Note: Different places have different definitions of waste and different methods of compiling waste statistics. Hence apparently similar parameters may not be directly comparable. For example, Seoul reports its per capita municipal waste generation as 0.95 kg/day, but this only covers waste from households and small businesses, which is more similar to the domestic waste as defined in Hong Kong.

–5–

2

Our Challenges & Opportunities

3. Limited capacity to absorb waste
Hong Kong is a highly urbanized city with a service economy. It is not easy to establish waste recycling industries here when land is scarce and so very costly. Nevertheless, the waste collection industry is reasonably efficient at collecting higher value wastes, such as metals, paper and

FIGURE 3

second-hand electrical and electronic products, for reprocessing or reuse elsewhere. The same cannot be said of lower value recyclables, including waste plastic, waste glass and food waste, which have less commercial attraction. Commercial viability for recyclables will change when PRS and MSW charging are in place.

Moreover, Hong Kong has limited space that is acceptable for waste infrastructure, especially for landfills.
Thus, we must work doubly hard under many constraints to prevent and reduce waste at source, as well as treat waste (and recover energy at the same time) to reduce the quantities of waste going to landfills.

Geographical distribution and utilization of landfills in Hong Kong

Northeast New Territories (NENT)
Commencement of
Operation:1995

Remaining Capacity
19 million m3
(up to 2011)

estimate full in around 2017

West New Territories (WENT)
Commencement of
Operation:1994

Daily intake:
2,513 tonnes
Area: 61 ha
Capacity: 35 million m3

estimate full Remaining Capacity
33 million m3 in around
(up to 2011)
2019
Daily intake:
6,131 tonnes
Area: 110 ha
Capacity: 61 million m3

NEW
TERRITORIES

KOWLOON
Daily intake:
4,814 tonnes

LANTAU
ISLAND

HONG KONG
ISLAND

Area: 100 ha
Capacity: 43million m3

Southeast New Territories

(SENT)

Commencement of
Operation: 1994

estimate full in around 2015
Legend:

Landfill Site

Refuse Transfer Station

–6–

Remaining Capacity:
8 million m3
(up to 2011)

2

Our Challenges & Opportunities

Hong Kong’s Landfills
Landfills are an essential and ultimate part of the waste management chain everywhere in the world. No matter how hard we work to reduce waste, there will still be inert materials, non-recyclables, construction waste and post-treatment residues that need to be disposed of.
Hong Kong had operated 13 landfills which are now closed and some have already been restored for community greening and activities. Today, there are three large, modern state-of-the-art strategic landfills established in three corners of Hong Kong – North East
New Territories (NENT), South East New Territories
(SENT) and West New Territories (WENT). The locations were chosen in light of the development needs of various districts and transport optimization in terms of emissions and costs for waste arising from all over the city. These three landfills began operation in the 1990s and they will

reach their designed capacities one-by-one by 2019 if not planned for extension.
Hong Kong’s landfills are engineered to a very high standard, using impermeable lining with comprehensive leachate and landfill gas management. They are welloperated to meet high international environmental standards, including stringent control measures to prevent potential nuisance caused by odour, landfill gas and leachate. Landfill gas can be used beneficially to generate electricity and energy for site use or as a substitute for towngas. The landfills have also received about 20,000 visitors (from schools and general public) over the past five years.

Restored landfill at
Jordan Valley

4. Incomplete infrastructure
There are both pockets of excellence and major missing elements in Hong
Kong’s waste infrastructure. Hong
Kong’s refuse collection and transfer system, landfill management, and the chemical waste treatment facility are examples of good practices.
We are filling some of the gaps – a sludge treatment facility (STF) will be completed soon to deal with sewage

sludge and turn waste to energy, and we plan to build Hong Kong’s first
Organic Waste Treatment Facility
(OWTF) to deal with food waste.
Before long, we will need to commit to a second OWTF, and we also need to build a sizable integrated waste management facility (IWMF) with enhanced capacity to turn waste to energy and to deal with MSW that has not been taken out of the waste stream. –7–

A key aspect of Hong Kong’s failure in waste management to date is to have relied for too long on landfills to the extent that these are filling up and need to be imminently extended. In future, landfill space must be regarded as one of the city’s most precious assets – to be more prudently used as a last resort.

2

Our Challenges & Opportunities

Learning from Taipei City and South Korea
We are encouraged by the success of other places in waste reduction.
Our study of successful waste reduction examples from other jurisdictions shows the different types of intervention needed and the time-scale necessary to work with the community to change behaviour.
We have looked at countries, cities and places in Asia, Europe and the US for inspiration. Taipei City and South
Korea in particular offer useful lessons for Hong Kong because there are some similarities between the lifestyle of their residents and ours, and they

FIGURE 4

65% from 1.11 kg to 0.39 kg.1 The remaining waste from her 2 million citizens is treated by three incinerators with a daily capacity of 4,200 tonnes in total and then landfilled. In the case of South Korea as a whole, the waste disposal rate on a per capita basis dropped by 40%2 from 1995 with the
Figure 4 is most revealing. In 1995, remaining waste treated by incinerators
Taipei City’s and Hong Kong’s daily and then landfilled.3 The capital city – per capita waste disposal rates were
Seoul, with a population of more than similar but since then, Taipei City’s rate 10 million, has built four incinerators has decreased significantly. The most for treating MSW with a daily capacity dramatic drop took place between 2000 of 2,850 tonnes in total.4 and 2011 when Taipei City’s per capita disposal rate of household garbage fell embarked on a full waste reduction drive in the last two decades when
Hong Kong should have picked up our pace to do the same. Their experience can help us to reflect on a whole range of decisions and actions Hong Kong must take now.

Waste disposal rates in Hong Kong, Taipei City and South Korea (per capita)

kg/day

1.5

Taipei City
(MSW)

1.2

0.9

0.6

0.3

Hong Kong

Volume-based waste fee system was implemented in 2000

South Korea

Volume-based waste fee system was implemented in 1995

1995

1996

1997

(Household and small business waste)

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

(Household garbage)

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Sources: Taiwan Environmental Authority; Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department; Dr. Kwang-yim Kim, Performance of Waste
Management Policy in Korea -Volume-based Waste Fee System and Packaging Waste EPR, 2008, Korea Environment Institute; and Ministry of
Environment of South Korea.
Note: Different places have different definitions of waste and different methods of compiling waste statistics. Hence apparently similar parameters may not be directly comparable. For example, figures for South Korea only cover waste from households and small businesses, not the whole range of MSW as defined in Hong Kong, which includes waste from all commercial and industrial entities. Thus the above chart is only for reference regarding trends.

Footnotes:
1. Department of Environmental Protection, Taipei City Government: Implementation of the “Resource Recovery and Zero Landfill” Policy in Taipei City in 2010.
2. Dr. Kwang-yim Kim, Performance of Waste Management Policy in Korea-Volume-based Waste Fee System and Packaging Waste EPR, 2008, Korea Environment Institute.
3. “The Republic of Korea Year Book 2011”, Ministry of Environment of South Korea.
4. Korea Zero Waste Movement Network (KZWMN) http://www.waste21.or.kr/html/eng.asp.

–8–

2

Our Challenges & Opportunities

The most effective means for Taipei
City and South Korea to reduce waste was the combination of public education and volume-based
MSW charging. Hong Kong’s own experience is that waste charging works. After Hong Kong imposed charging for the disposal of construction waste, the waste loads to landfill has dropped by some 60%
(see Figure 10).

Figure 5 provides a summary of the full complement of policies and measures used in Taipei City and South Korea.
Success did not come overnight. It took years of sustained perseverance for the authorities and communities. Both
Taipei City and South Korea had to work out how best to impose waste charging.
They both adopted a volume-based charging scheme for households and commercial/industrial units.

At the same time, Taipei City and
South Korea turned waste into energy and thereby reducing waste residues going to landfills.

Waste charging should be seen together with the imposition of PRSs, which apply to commercial/industrial enterprises and are based on the Polluter Pays

FIGURE 5

Schedule of waste policies and measures imposed in Taipei City and South Korea

Keep Trash Off the
Ground policy;

Taipei City

Principle (PPP). PRSs are effective in changing the behaviour of businesses to redesign products and packaging to reduce or even eliminate waste.
In Taiwan and South Korea, PRSs also helped to foster the incremental development of recycling industries and the creation of green jobs.

Plastics restriction policies on disposing cutlery and shopping bags

4-in-1 resource recovery (producer responsibility system)

Mandatory food waste recovery Food waste recovery system

Building incinerators Mandatory waste separation
Volume-based
waste fee system

1990

1994

1995

1997

1998

2000

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

South Korea

Volume-based waste fee system
Food waste recovery system

Building incinerators and landfills

2013

101 Tips for
Food Waste
Reduction
Camapign

PRS
Beverage
containers recovery scheme

2010

Landfill ban on food waste

Food Waste
Recycling
Fee System

FEE

–9–

2

Our Challenges & Opportunities

FIGURE 6

Comparison of waste management structure with other Asia areas

%
100

Landfill 1%

Landfill 2%

Landfill
19%
80

Landfill
52%

Incineration and others
79%

60

Incineration
51%

Incineration
46%

Incineration
20%

Recycling
48%

Recycling
52%

Recycling
61%

Singapore (2011)
Solid Waste excluding construction waste, sludge and used slag.*

Taiwan (2011)

South Korea (2009)
Municipal/Domestic Waste

40

Recycling
48%
20

Recycling
21%
0

Hong Kong (2011)
Municipal Solid Waste

Japan (2010)
General/Municipal Waste

General Waste

* Note: The published Total Solid Waste Recycling rate is 59%. After excluding construction waste, sludge and used slag, the solid waste recycling rate is 48%.

The Opportunities
1. Mobilize our people
There is an enormous untapped potential in mobilizing our community. Hong Kong people can adopt new behaviour to reduce waste.
We are confident that mobilization will work in Hong Kong for two reasons: firstly, there are already many effective, self-started community activities in waste reduction and recycling; and secondly, we see strong results from other cities when their people became motivated to participate in waste reduction.
Substantial reduction is possible when public policies and infrastructure provision are properly aligned.

2. Multiple, concurrent actions needed now
We can avert Hong Kong’s waste crisis by taking multiple decisions and actions now to lay the path towards a new ‘Waste Not’ culture.
Different jurisdictions adopted a mix of policies and measures. Figure 6 provides a breakdown of recycled, incinerated and landfilled waste in different places. Hong Kong is unique in that up until now we have been relying on landfills for waste disposal. However, this will start to change with the commissioning of the
STF and OWTFs, and also when we build an IWMF with waste-to-energy technology. The adoption of MSW charging will further help to reduce waste substantially.

– 10 –

Taking into account Hong Kong’s challenges, opportunities and lessons from other cities, our Action Blueprint covers a wide range of activities that we must urgently embark upon to:
• Prevent and reduce all types of waste at source;
• Increase reuse and recycling;
• Implement MSW charging;
• Review construction waste charging; • Expand PRS;
• Invest in infrastructure to recover energy and treat waste;
• Collaborate with stakeholders to prevent, reduce and recycle waste; and
• Promote territory-wide campaigns and mobilize the community to change behaviour.

3 The Action Blueprint 2013-2022
Joined-up Action Agenda

FIGURE 7

Taking into account Hong Kong’s waste challenges described in
Chapter 2, our action agenda to reduce waste and relieve pressure on landfills is built upon enhanced social mobilization coupled with the right policies and legislation, as well as providing the necessary waste infrastructure to deal with different types of waste. By also taking into account past measures in waste management (see Annex), we believe
Hong Kong has a solid foundation from which to advance.

Joined-up Action Agenda

Social Mobilization

Principles of Waste
Management
We will continue to use the internationally-accepted multi-tiered waste management hierarchy to guide our policies and measures.
Figure 8 shows the hierarchy and the desirability of each of the tiers.

FIGURE 8

Policies and
Legislation

Infrastructure

Waste Management Hierarchy

PREVENTION

Reduce quantity and types of wastes at source is most desirable but challenging to achieve.
Putting materials and products back into use before thay become waste although not everything can be reused.

REUSE

Involves reprocessing but may be more environmentally-friendly than using virgin materials. It also reduces landfilling. RECYCLING
RECOVERY

Modern technology recovers energy, and recovery minimizes landfill use.

DISPOSAL
What cannot be taken out of the waste stream needs to be landfilled.

– 11 –

3

The Action Blueprint 2013-2022

Policy Development and Legislation
1. Quantity-based waste charging
1A. MSW charging

Stakeholder engagements on charging scheme in 2013

1B. Construction waste charging

Review the charging scheme

2. Producer responsibility schemes
2A. Plastic shopping bags

• Legislate to extend existing PRS
• Encourage BYOB campaigns

2B. Waste electrical and electronic equipment • Public consultation completed
• Draft legislation as part of PRS
2C. Glass beverage bottles

• Draft legislation subject to outcome of consultation
• May be extended to other glass products

2D. Others (e.g. rubber tyres, wood, packaging

To assess need and consider whether they can be part of PRS

materials, rechargeable batteries etc)

3. Other policy incentives
3A. BEAM Plus

Explore how BEAM Plus (the local comprehensive environmental assessment scheme for buildings) can promote waste prevention and reduction during building construction and operation

3B. Green Procurement

Review regularly the green specifications of the products that are commonly used by Government departments on the green procurement list, and continue the promotion of green procurement policy in the Government

Social Mobilization
1. Reduction on Food Waste
1A. Food Wise

• The Food Wise Hong Kong Steering Committee, set-up in December 2012, is drawing up programmes to target households, businesses and schools etc. to prevent and reduce food waste
• Support catering and related sectors, women and other groups on their food-related reduction projects
• Encourage catering and related sectors to support food donation activities whenever possible

1B. Food Waste Recycling

• The Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF) is supporting Food Waste Recycling Projects in residential estates with $50 million earmarked
• The Food Waste Recycling Partnership Scheme, commenced in 2010, brings stakeholders in the commercial and industrial sectors together to reduce and recycle food waste at the Kowloon Bay pilot composting plant

2. ECF

Support community mobilization projects

3. Community Collaboration
3A. Industry stakeholders

Work with industry stakeholders to prevent and reduce waste

3B. District Councils

Collaborate with District Councils, neighbourhoods and
NGOs to extend and expand campaigns, as well as increasing the penetration rate of recycling facilities

– 12 –

Disposal

Recovery

Recycling

Reuse

Our 10-year Action Blueprint categorizes the decisions and actions we need to take using the waste management hierarchy for reference. Many of the actions are in fact interrelated.

Prevention

The Action Blueprint 2013-2022

Investing in Infrastructure
1. Recycling infrastructure
1A. Community Green Stations (CGS)

Government to pilot 5 CGS operated by NGOs to bring green living to communities, where waste prevention, reduction and reuse can be demonstrated and practised.
We aim to commission the stations in phases starting from late 2013 with a term of three years

1B. Public cargo working areas (PCWA)

Provide stable berthing facilities for recyclers to export recyclable materials

1C. Waste separation and collection system

• Enhance the collection network and review deployment, provision and placement of recycling bins, and workers performance, as well as review any additional resources needed • Study the improvement of roadside tricolour bins
• Consult trade on recycling facilities at public transport venues • Continue on-going efforts to step up Source Separation of
Waste Programme

2. Recovery infrastructure
2A. WEEE treatment plant

Develop a WEEE treatment plant at EcoPark

2B. STF

Commission the facility at end-2013 to treat all of Hong
Kong’s sludge generated from the Harbour Area Treatment
Scheme (HATS) and regional sewage treatment works

2C. OWTF

• 1st OWTF for 200 tonnes per day being tendered; expect to commission by 2016
• 2nd OWTF for 300 tonnes per day; expect to commission by 2017
• Site search for 3rd and more OWTF

2D. IWMF

Secure funding (subject to outcome of judicial proceedings)

3. Disposal infrastructure
3A. Landfill extensions

Secure funding in 2013 for extending NENT, SENT and
WENT landfills

– 13 –

Disposal

Recovery

Recycling

Reuse

The Action Blueprint 2013-2022
Prevention

3

3

The Action Blueprint 2013-2022

FIGURE 9

Timeframe for The Action Blueprint

2013-2015
Policy
Development and Legislation

2016-2018

(1A) Stakeholder engagement and law drafting for MSW charging
(1B) Trade consultation regarding review of construction waste charging scheme

2019-2022

(2D) Study on PRSs on other waste (e.g. rubber tyres, wood, packaging materials, rechargeable batteries, etc.) (2A) Bill on Extension of PRS on plastic shopping bags
(2B) Bill on PRS on WEEE
(2C) Public consultation and law drafting for
PRS on glass beverage bottles
(3A) Optimize the BEAM Plus scheme on waste reduction (3B) Review regularly the green specifications of the products

Social
Mobilization

(1A) Food Wise Hong Kong Campaign
(1B) Funding for small-scale food waste treatment facilities

(1A)(1B)(2)(3A)(3B)
Review all items

(2) Injection into the ECF
(3A) On-going work with industry stakeholders
(3B) Collaboration with District Councils

Investing in
Infrastructure

(1A) Commission CGS by phases
(1C) Improve the waste separation and collection system (1B) Provide stable berthing facilities for recyclers to export recyclable materials
(2C) Commission the 1st OWTF
& 2nd OWTF

(2A) Establish WEEE treatment plant.
(2B) Commission the STF
(2C) Apply for funding for the 1st OWTF & 2nd
OWTF
(2C) Site search for 3rd and more OWTF
(2D) Apply for funding for IWMF
(3A) Apply for funding for landfill extensions

– 14 –

(2D) Commission the IWMF

3

The Action Blueprint 2013-2022

More about
Waste in
Hong Kong

million tonnes (around 13,458 tonnes per we generate at source reflects how day in 2011) of waste from these three good we are in preventing waste (less categories combined. generation is better). How much is removed for reuse and recycling reflects
With domestic waste, everything we how good we are in turning waste back discard from home is our generation into resources (more is better). The quantity. Recyclable materials placed quantity we dispose of is the combined into recycling bins (such as used paper, measurement of the two, and it also plastics and metals) and sent to recycling reflects how good we are in conserving outlets are counted as the recovery landfill space (less is better). quantity. The remaining waste, which is mixed together in garbage bins and
It should be noted that by simply will end up in landfills, is the disposal increasing the recovery quantity or quantity. In simple terms, recycling rate does not necessarily mean we are managing our waste well. For generation quantity = instance, using bottled drinks all the time recovery quantity + disposal and recycling the used plastic bottles is quantity. not as good as avoiding bottled drinks in
It then follows that the the first place. In practice, the disposal recovery rate = quantity is based on what is recorded at recovery quantity/generation landfills and is an accurate measurement quantity. of our waste loads. Whereas how much
To assess how well we manage our waste, waste we recover can only be estimated from surveys. Hence the generation we need to measure the quantities in quantity calculated from them is also an each of these categories either in total estimate. or on a per capita basis. How much

Hong Kong’s waste statistics
All garbage generated at homes, schools and in public places (for instance, public buildings and from street sweeping) is called domestic waste. All the waste that comes from shops, restaurants, offices, hotels, factories and other businesses is commercial and industrial waste.
The term MSW includes both domestic and commercial and industrial waste.
In addition, Hong Kong generates a large amount of construction waste.
We also handle special waste, such as dewatered sludge from sewage treatment plants, livestock waste, animal carcasses etc. Every year, our three landfills receive about five

Construction Waste
Construction works in Hong Kong generate nearly 50,000 tonnes of construction waste every day.
Since the implementation of the
Construction Waste Disposal
Charging Scheme in 2006, the trade has been incentivized to separate waste at source and Figure 10 shows the positive result. Currently, over 90% of construction waste is classified as public fill to be reused as construction materials or for reclamation. However, there is still
3,300 tonnes to dispose of each day at landfills, representing 25% of the total daily disposal.

FIGURE 10

Reduction in construction waste in Hong Kong

million tonnes 4.0

3.5
3.0

Charging
Scheme
introduced

2.5

2.0

1.5
1.0
0.5

0.0

2000

2001

2002

2003

– 15 –

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

3

The Action Blueprint 2013-2022

More about
Waste in
Hong Kong

food waste to useful resources, the ECF has earmarked $50 million to support housing estates in organizing food waste reduction educational activities as well as collecting and recycling the food waste by on-site facility to compost for landscaping reuse.

Act Now for
Clean Recycling
Recycling bins are there to help us separate waste for recycling. However, a frequent problem is people stuffing the bins with other refuse, such as food waste and unfinished drinks.
This makes the contents of these bins unrecyclable and the only option is to dispose of them with other refuse – and add to our landfill burden.

Over 80% of Hong Kong residents now have recycling bins close to where they live.

Waste separation at source is most important Over 80% of Hong Kong residents now have recycling bins close to where they live. People can easily separate out metal cans, plastic products, and newsprint/magazines and paper products (such as packaging) and place them in the proper bins close to their home.
In addition, to reduce food waste generation and to turn unavoidable

As for glass bottle recycling, we have progressively expanded the recycling network over past years and now over
120 public and private housing estates participating, covering some 880,000 people or 12% of the total population.
At the same time, various programmes under the voluntary PRSs have received support from different sectors of the community, including 1,550 housing estates covering 70% of total population, which has helped to raise public awareness on the recycling of energy saving lamps, rechargeable batteries, etc.
It does take extra time and effort to reduce, separate and recycle waste, but
Hong Kong people are becoming familiar with what to do – we just need to take responsibility and participate.

Food Waste Reduction is Achievable
About 3,600 tonnes of food waste is disposed of in Hong Kong every day, accounting for nearly 40% of all MSW disposal. A year of food waste equates to
100,000 double-decker buses by weight.
We can all help prevent and reduce food waste:

Avoid ordering more than we can eat at restaurants and eateries.

Avoid buying more than we need for the home and consume food before the expiry date.

When preparing food, avoid providing more food than can be eaten at a meal, and make the most of all the ingredients (they may be used for several dishes and meals).

– 16 –

During meals, cherish every bite.
Consume all the food on the table!

3

The Action Blueprint 2013-2022

More about
Waste in
Hong Kong

Green
Procurement
in Hong Kong
The Government has taken the lead to adopt a green procurement policy for promoting waste reduction and recycling. We have encouraged
Government departments to purchase green products as far as possible and where economically rational. Green specifications have been developed for items commonly used by bureaux and departments and at present, there are 103 products on the Government’s green procurement list. We have also encouraged wider use of recycled and other green materials in public works projects whenever the technical performance of the green products is proven to be satisfactory, subject to adequate market supply.
An example of green procurement is the commissioning, from January 2012, of a pilot scheme to use B5 diesel (a blend of
95% Euro V diesel and 5% biodiesel) in some Government vehicles, vessels and machinery. This pioneered the use of bio-diesel in Hong Kong and will enable wider, progressive adoption of the fuel.
We are currently reviewing the green procurement scheme to explore how to expand its scope, including placing greater emphasis on local products with recycled contents. Recycling trade in Hong Kong
Success in recycling depends on the costs (collection, transportation, sorting and processing), the availability of land or facilities for recycling, and the availability of buyers and markets.
As such, recyclers in Hong Kong have focussed on higher value recyclables such as metals and paper for which there are export markets.
The Government has implemented a basket of initiatives to support the local recycling industry. These include promoting source separation of waste to increase the quantities of recyclables available for recyclers; developing the EcoPark to provide long term land at an affordable cost to recyclers; providing short-term tenancy sites for the same purpose;

and adopting a green procurement policy within Government to increase market demand for recycled and environmental products.
More opportunities for local recycling will arise with the implementation of the PRS for glass beverage bottles, which can be reprocessed locally into various types of building materials.
There will also be a mandatory PRS for Waste Electrical and Electronic
Equipment (WEEE), which will likewise stimulate new recycling business.
More importantly, the implementation of MSW charging will provide a much greater incentive for people and businesses to separate all kinds of waste, which will in turn provide more recyclable materials for the trade.

Polluter Pays Principle (PPP)
The PPP articulates that the party responsible for generating pollution is responsible for paying for the damage done. It is widely adopted internationally by governments to prevent and reduce waste. PRSs are derived from this concept.

FEE

The additional costs involved in PRSs for those generating pollution gives them an incentive to prevent and reduce waste. Many cities apply PPP through PRSs and such policies as quantity-based MSW charging, with the ultimate goal of reducing waste.

– 17 –

4 MSW Disposal Rate Reduction Targets by 2022
The measures in our Action Blueprint will help Hong Kong to achieve a set of specific targets by 2022 to prevent and reduce MSW across the board. While Hong Kong will still have much to overcome to instill an environmentally-sustainable culture into our daily activities, we will have started to change community attitude on how we look at and deal with waste. Our citizens will
FIGURE 11

have become highly mobilized to participate in waste prevention, reuse and recycling, and we will have completed or be close to completing the missing pieces of waste infrastructure, without which we cannot achieve these targets.
Our MSW reduction targets by 2017 and 2022 are as follows:

• By 2017, we will have reduced the
MSW disposal rate on a per capita basis by 20% from 1.27 kg per day to 1 kg or below.
• By 2022, we will have further reduced the MSW disposal rate on a per capita basis from 1 kg to 0.8 kg or below, representing a
40% decrease from 2011.

MSW Disposal Rate Reduction Targets

Per-capita
MSW
disposal rate
(per day)

Reduction achieved on

Year

Year

Year

2011

2017

2022

1.0 kg

0.8kg

-20%

-40%

1.27kg

or below

or below

By 2017, Phases I and II of the OWTF should have been commissioned and the impact of the Food Wise
Campaign should have taken effect. Combined with other waste reduction and recycling policies, initiatives and facilities, we expect a 20% reduction in waste disposal over 2011 levels.

One of most forceful tools in waste reduction is MSW charging, which can reduce waste generation by over
20% according to overseas experience. When combined with other ongoing initiatives, we are confident of achieving a 40% reduction in waste disposal by 2022.

Note:
1. Assume waste generation per capita unchanged, hence total waste generation and disposal rise in line with population growth.
2. Based on 2011 MSW disposal of 1.27kg per person per day.

– 18 –

5 An Evolving Waste Management Structure
Achieving Wider Benefits
There are many other benefits that will arise from smarter waste management. For example, residents will demand increasingly improved waste collection services that are efficient, hygienic and environmentallysound, and that will lead to higher professionalism in the waste collection sector. Building managers will also have to make waste reduction efforts a part of their core competence, as waste separation and waste charging become a normal part of life in Hong Kong. While the recycling trade is still small here, there will be more opportunities and new jobs arising all along the waste chain from collection to disposal.
Air pollutants will also be reduced because we will be reducing the use of other resources, such as trucks and fuel to transport waste. With less waste to transport, there will be fewer journeys and less pollution emitted
FIGURE 12

from them. Reducing waste quantities will also lower the level of emissions from waste treatment and landfilling, which will in turn reduce not only local air pollution but also greenhouse gases that cause global warming.

alongside residents and businesses.
Indeed, social mobilization to improve waste management has the capacity to strengthen communities
– yet another win-win benefit.

Hong Kong will also adopt a variety of new waste-related technologies that generate energy. The STF,
OWTFs and IWMF are all designed to produce considerable quantities of renewable energy that can be used directly to operate the facilities and the surplus energy can even be used elsewhere. Our landfill gas can also be captured for use as a source of gas for trucks or household and
Community gardening, community farming and composting are growing business use. These opportunities in popularity. Our urban residents are will not only enable a portion of Hong
Kong’s greenhouse gas emissions learning more about the food cycle to be reduced, they will also add to while some are engaging directly
Hong Kong’s overall competence in in small scale agriculture using the compost produced from food waste. technology and waste management.
Another example of a wider benefit is that food will not be wasted to the same extent that it is today. The food and beverage sector is collaborating with NGOs in food donation programmes – a good way to reduce waste and help people in need at the same time.

Whole neighbourhoods will be engaged in waste reduction programmes, where district leaders and councillors actively work

Waste-to-energy
The Action Blueprint 2013-2022 will lead to the following results as shown in Figure 12 on a per day basis:

Estimates of Waste Reduction and Energy Gains in 2022

Year

2022

Prevent

Turn

1,500 tonnes

of sludge into energy

Turn at least

3,900 tonnes

500 tonnes

of MSW from being landfilled of food and organic waste into biogas and compost

– 19 –

Turn

3,000

tonnes of MSW into energy

5

An Evolving Waste Management Structure

Saving on Costs

FIGURE 13

Reducing, reusing and recycling waste can help to cut costs for all of society. Two examples can illustrate this. In the construction sector, good practice from an early stage in the planning and design process can lead to cost reductions in materials and resources. Money can be saved by increasing the reusability of materials, and savings can also be made by minimizing waste taken to landfill since there is already a charge for construction waste today. In the food sector, costs can be saved through careful planning of menus and inventories, as well as in kitchen management to reduce waste.

FIGURE 14

Current government waste management costs

Waste collection HK$ 400 million per year

Operating waste transfer stations HK$ 400 million

Operating landfills HK$ 600 million per year

Treatment cost per tonne of waste
HK$520

per year

On the whole, the provision of waste services for the city is a public sector responsibility. Beyond land and construction costs, the Government’s current operational costs for waste collection, transfer, treatment and landfilling amount to HK$1.4 billion per annum.

Waste prevention and reduction will also save costs for the community as a whole. While Hong Kong needs to invest in completing our waste infrastructure, by preventing and reducing waste, there will be longterm and multiple benefits for the city as a whole.

The Distribution of Waste Management Facilities

NENT Landfill

OWTF Phase II
(under planning)

Animal Waste
Composting Plant
STF

WENT Landfill

NEW TERRITORIES

EcoPark
Chemical
Waste
Treatment
Centre

KOWLOON

OWTF Phase I

SENT Landfill

(under planning nning) HONG KONG
ISLAND

LANTAU
ISLAND

IWMF (under planning)

– 20 –

5

An Evolving Waste Management Structure

EcoPark
The development of the
EcoPark aims to provide long-term land at affordable cost for the development of the recycling industry in
Hong Kong. At present, a total of 14 lots have been leased for recycling waste cooking oil, waste metals, waste wood,
WEEE, waste plastics, waste batteries, waste construction materials / waste glass, waste tyres and food waste.
In 2012, about 50,000 tonnes of recyclable materials were recovered by the EcoPark tenants. In addition, a
WEEE treatment facility will be developed at the EcoPark to support the future mandatory PRS. The facility is scheduled to be commissioned in 2016.

Waste Cooking Oil
Recycling Plant
Waste cooking oil recycling plant at EcoPark, which converts waste cooking oil to biodiesel

Waste Wood Recycling Plant
A plant produces wood chips from waste wood, which helps to reduce further deforestation and preserve our remaining forests

Waste Computer Equipment
Dismantling Plant
Dismantling of waste computer equipment at EcoPark into various electronic components for further processing Recycling Centres
There are two resources recycling centres for waste plastics and
WEEE operated by non-profit making organizations at EcoPark
Waste Construction Materials
Recycling Plant
A plant to recycle waste construction materials and waste glass to produce recycled glass paving blocks is under construction at EcoPark

Waste Metals Recycling Plant
Waste metals recycling plant at
EcoPark, which shreds waste metals and export the materials for the manufacturing of construction materials

– 21 –

5

An Evolving Waste Management Structure

Waste Recycling and
Recovery Facilities
In addition to intensifying the efforts on waste reduction and to mobilizing the community to adopt new behavior to use less, waste less, we should also invest in infrastructure on recycling and recovering resources. It is one of the important steps to implement the comprehensive waste management for Hong Kong. These four types of infrastructure will be built and make the best use of waste resources. Organic Waste Treatment
Facilities (OWTF)
We are planning to develop modern large-scale OWTF in phases to recycle and turn food waste into renewable energy and compost.

Community Green Stations (CGS)
There will be five pilot
Community Green Stations to enhance environmental education with a view to promoting public participation in waste reduction and recovery. Necessary logistics support will also be available.

Integrated Waste Management Facilities
(IWMF)
We are planning for the IWMF which will adopt modern waste-to-energy technology to substantially reduce the volume of waste and turn waste into energy.

Sludge Treatment Facility (STF)
The STF adopts a high-temperature incineration process to treat sludge arising from sewage treatment works. The facility is under construction and is expected to be commissioned at the end of 2013. It will also produce energy.

– 22 –

5

An Evolving Waste Management Structure

Evolution of Hong Kong’s Waste the STF and OWTFs, and will speed up when we build an IWMF with
Management Structure
Figure 6 in Chapter 2 provides a comparison of how different jurisdictions deal with their waste.
Currently, Hong Kong’s recycling rate is about 48% and our landfilling rate is 52%. This proportion will start to change with the commissioning of

FIGURE 15

waste-to-energy technology.
Figure 15 shows the evolution of
Hong Kong’s waste management structure up until 2022, assuming the critical steps in the Action
Blueprint will be implemented.

Evolution of Hong Kong’s Waste Management Structure

Year

Year

2011

2022

Landfilling

52%

22%
23%

48%

Waste-to-energy
(modern
incineration)

55%
Recycling

In order to achieve this transition in how Hong Kong deals with waste, we will need public support for new legislation and funding to support for the various steps in the Action Blueprint. Delays will mean this timetable will have to be stretched further into the future.

– 23 –

6 Conclusion s the world continues to urbanize, one of the most notable by-products of the urban lifestyle has become the amount of waste generated, especially MSW. A decade ago, there were 2.9 billion urban residents in the world, who together generated about 0.64 kg of MSW per person per day. Today, there are estimated to be 3 billion urban residents generating 1.2 kg of MSW per person per day. By 2025, the World Bank estimates that there will be 4.3 billion urban residents generating 1.42 kg of
MSW per person per day. During this period of time, the total quantity of
MSW from urban residents will have increased from 0.68 billion tonnes to
2.2 billion tonnes per year.5

A

Hong Kong’s waste story is a part of the global story. Some places, such as Taipei City and South Korea, have made sustained efforts in recent years to prevent and reduce waste with great success. Hong Kong needs to catch up with the best-inclass cities although we have a way

to go. Our job is to set Hong Kong and our citizens on that path now so that by 2022, the targets we have set in the Action Blueprint can be met.
This requires many decisions to be made today – not tomorrow – so that plans can be actualized expeditiously.
Do we have sufficiently ambitious waste reduction targets? We think so. We aim to reduce Hong Kong’s
MSW disposal rate on a per capita basis by 20%, from 1.27 kg per day to 1 kg or below by 2017, and then further down to 0.8 kg or below, representing a 40% from
2011. But we need public support to turn these numbers into reality.
The Government cannot do it alone.
Hence, we propose a new social contract with the community. We need the people of Hong Kong to adopt these targets as their own. The
Government will work hard in social mobilization, and we will provide polices and the necessary tools to realize these targets but we need citizens to participate and change their behaviour. Let’s do our part and go green for Hong Kong.

We aim to reduce Hong Kong’s
MSW disposal rate on a per capita basis by 20%, from 1.27 kg per day to 1 kg or below by 2017, and then further down to 0.8 kg or below, representing a 40% from 2011.

CLOTHING
DONATION

FOOD
DONATION

Footnote:
5. Hoornweg, Daniel; Bhada-Tata, Perinaz; “What a Waste: A Global Review of Solid Waste Management”, The World Bank, 2012 Jul.

– 24 –

Annex
Previous and On-going Waste Management Initiatives in Hong Kong
(Please click the blue words to read the relevant websites or documents)

Year

Initiative

Policies and Legislation
Since 1998

The Government has allocated suitable sites under short term tenancy to provide land resources to the recycling trade at an affordable cost.

2008 –

The Building (Refuse Storage and Material Recovery Chambers and Refuse Chutes) Regulation was amended, making it mandatory that a refuse storage and material recovery room (no smaller than 1.5m x 1.5m) be provided on every floor of new domestic buildings and the domestic part of new composite buildings, in order to provide sufficient and accessible space for source separation of waste.

2009 –

The first stage of the Environmental Levy Scheme on Plastic Shopping Bags was implemented to promote the bring-your-own-bag lifestyle and counter excessive use of plastic shopping bags.

Social Mobilization
2005 –

Source Separation of Domestic Waste was launched territory-wide. It aims to provide additional waste separation facilities on each building floor or in other areas of housing estates to facilitate source separation of waste by residents and broaden the types of recyclables to be recovered, including waste paper, metals, plastics, used clothes, used computers and electrical appliances. In 2007, the Programme was further extended to commercial and industrial buildings.

2010 –

The Food Waste Recycling Partnership Scheme was implemented with the commercial and industrial sectors for food waste reduction and recycling.

2010 –

The EcoPark WEEE Recycling Centre was set up with funding support from the ECF, to enhance the reuse and recycling of WEEE generated in Hong Kong.

2010 –

A Plastic Resources Recycling Centre at EcoPark was set up to provide recycling processing for limited quantities of locally collected plastic waste.

2011 –

A Community Recycling Network was established in collaboration with frontline Government departments and various sectors in the community. The network organises regular recycling promotional activities at its 530 recycling points.
The collection of materials of lower market value such as plastics and WEEE is promoted through various means such as redemption vouchers.

2011 –

The ECF subsidized educational and promotional programmes for food waste reduction and source separation of waste in private residences, as well as on-site treatment that turns unavoidable able food waste into usable resources.
Pilot schemes of on-site food waste treatment were launched in Government facilities.

2012 –

The District Councils were provided with funding and assistance for educational and promotional campaigns to raise public awareness regarding waste reduction and recovery.

Infrastructure
Since mid
1990s

The 3 strategic landfills were established to provide environmentally sound waste disposal outlets at strategic locations of the territory. Obsolete waste facilities were phased out.

1993 –

The Chemical Waste Treatment Centre at Tsing Yi was established in 1993 upon the launch of regulatory control over chemical waste. It provides high temperature incineration, physical/chemical treatment and oil/water separation processes for various types of chemical waste. It is a centralised facility for Hong Kong’s chemical waste, clinical waste as well as
MARPOL waste (oily water and noxious liquid substances) from local vessels and ocean-going vessels visiting Hong Kong.

2007 –

The EcoPark was developed to provide the recycling trade with land for long term leasing at an affordable cost.

2006 – 2008

A pilot food waste composting plant was built in Kowloon Bay and commissioned in 2008.

2008 –

The Animal Waste Composting Plant at Ngau Tam Mei, Yuen Long was built in 2008 to treat horse stable waste generated from the Olympics and Paralympics Equestrian Events. In addition to horse stable waste, the facility now also treats a small quantity of livestock waste, food waste and yard waste and the compost produced is suitable for agricultural use.

– 25 –

Abbreviation
BEAM

Building Environmental Assessment Method

BYOB

Bring Your Own Bag

CGS

Community Green Station

ECF

Environment and Conservation Fund

GDP

Gross Domestic Product

HATS

Harbour Area Treatment Scheme

IWMF

Integrated Waste Management Facility

MSW

Municipal Solid Waste

NENT

Northeast New Territories Landfill

NGOs

Non-Governmental Organizations

OWTF

Organic Waste Treatment Facility

PCWA

Public Cargo Working Area

PPP

Polluter Pays Principle

PRS

Producer Responsibility Schemes

SENT

Southeast New Territories Landfill

STF

Sludge Treatment Facility

WEEE

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

WENT

West New Territories Landfill

– 26 –