Vitasoy told to take responsibility for recycling after sample shows 74 per cent of drinks cartons in Hong Kong landfills from firm
- Local beverage giant must stop ignoring the problem and not wait for legislation before acting, green group says
Most of the drinks cartons piling up in Hong Kong’s landfills come from just one producer and it is high time the firm takes responsibility for recycling the containers, a green group has warned.
Beverage giant Vitasoy – which owns Vitasoy milk and Vita Lemon Tea among other brands – had been ignoring the problem and was deviating from a pledge to strive for socially responsible consumption and production, Green Power said.
The non-profit organisation launched the city’s first drinks carton recycling campaign in 2016 with the aim of proving that recycling such composite items was feasible.
About 43,000 tonnes of waste drinks cartons are discarded in Hong Kong landfills each year – enough to cover 6,179 football pitches when laid out flat. Almost none is recycled in Hong Kong.
Starting in July, Green Power set up 17 recycling stations across the city where the public can deliver waste cartons. About 90,000 – roughly a tonne – have been collected in just five months.
