Deep Dive: Hong Kong’s food waste recycling schemes face issues due to lack of access, information

Hong Kong residents and restaurant owners have been slow to recycle food waste because of the absence of incentives and impractical guidelines, lawmakers and industry representatives have said.

Despite years of effort by environmental authorities, many are still unclear about what is fit to recycle, find separating food waste too much of a bother, or do not know where to bin it.

For years, authorities have encouraged people to separate and dispose of such waste appropriately. The city implemented a food waste collection trial scheme in public rental housing estates, using smart recycling bins to reduce food waste in landfills. The collected food waste was then delivered to government recycling facilities to be turned into energy or resources.

The government noted that disposing of biodegradable food waste in landfills is not sustainable or environmentally friendly. It depletes limited space, causes odour, produces harmful gases, and wastes valuable organic materials.

Although food waste collection bins have appeared in some housing estates, some districts have none.

The Environmental Protection Department said it was on track to install more than 700 food waste bins in all 213 public rental housing estates by August, covering a third of Hong Kong’s households.

The department said the amount of food waste it handled rose by 30 per cent last year to about 60,800 tonnes, with more than 90 per cent coming from commercial and industrial sources.

Still, out of 3,000 restaurants invited to use food waste collection points set up at 49 refuse stations, only 11 per cent did so last month.

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Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, said most outlets were independent, family-run businesses and found it hard to recycle food waste.

“They don’t have the space and staff to separate usable food waste from a pile of non-food and unrecyclable items, such as bones and cutlery,” he said. “Ordinary people and restaurant owners may not be able to comprehend the guidelines.”

Recyclable food waste includes everything from rice and noodles to meat, poultry, fruit and vegetables, pastries, dim sum items, coffee grounds and tea leaves. But large animal bones, crab and seafood shells, corn cobs, young coconuts, durian husks, watery soup, porridge and food packaging are not considered fit for recycling.

Staff writers

Question prompts:

1. Which of the following statements is false?

(A) Many Hong Kong citizens and restaurant owners don’t know how to handle leftover food.
(B) The government has installed smart recycling bins across all public and private housing estates.
(C) Leftover noodles can be recycled after removing the soup.
(D) Throwing leftover food into the bin is not a sustainable or environmentally friendly practice.

2. List ONE reason why the public should recycle food waste.

3. Using News and your own knowledge, explain why it can be difficult for small, family-run restaurants to recycle food waste.

1. What common food waste items can you find in your household?

2. Based on News, which items in the bin are unfit for recycling?

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• Hong Kong has 449 public food waste bins across the city, but many private housing estates have none

• Some worry about the impact of the upcoming rubbish charging scheme on the ability to recycle food waste

Lack of access to bins and concerns about Hong Kong’s upcoming waste charging scheme has impacted the government’s efforts to encourage people to recycle their food waste.

In response to lawmakers’ inquiries in January, the Environment and Ecology Bureau said Hong Kong had 449 public food waste bins across the city. Sha Tin had 62 bins, the most of any district.

However, no food waste bins were available at private housing estates in Central and Western, Southern, Sham Shui Po and Tai Po districts. There were none in Wan Chai and Yau Tsim Mong districts.

Lawmaker Scott Leung Man-kwong, of the Kowloon West geographical constituency, said there was no food waste recycling facility at Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market. As a result, vendors at the city’s largest wholesale fruit market dumped their unsold and damaged products as regular garbage.

While the government targeted larger housing estates with more than 1,000 flats, he said there were very few of that size in Yau Tsim Mong, so there were no food waste collection points.

He suggested the government subsidise smaller housing estates to help them buy their own bins.

Lawmaker Edward Leung Hei, of the Hong Kong Island East geographical constituency, pointed out that residential areas in Wan Chai primarily consist of single buildings, which do not meet the requirement to apply for free food waste bins.

A pilot scheme for private housing estates began last December, but it only allowed buildings with at least 1,000 flats to apply for a food waste bin.

Even though environmental authorities have recently noted that multiple single buildings could apply for a bin together, he added that it would still be challenging: “No one wants their place to turn into a dumpster.”

He suggested lowering the 1,000-flat bar and allowing the bins to be placed in public areas such as back alleys.

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In addition, ahead of the implementation of Hong Kong’s waste charging scheme in August, about a quarter of respondents to a survey about the levy have said they may flush their food waste down the toilet to save costs.

The Society for Community Organisation (SoCO) surveyed more than 300 low-income families in February and found that more than 70 per cent were worried about the extra financial burden, both from paying for the bags and being charged extra fees by landlords to cover the increased workload of cleaners.

The NGO said the government should provide more support to low-income families, for example, by expanding its recycling network and giving out free bags during the transition period.

Staff writers

Question prompts:

1. According to the Environment and Ecology Bureau, which areas lack food waste bins?
(1) Northern District
(2) Central and Western district
(3) Yuen Long
(4) Wan Chai|

A. (1), (3), and (4) only
B. (2) and (4) only
C. (1) and (4) only
D. all of the above

2. How are low-income families in Hong Kong responding to the upcoming waste charging scheme, and what concerns do they have?

3. Using Issue and your own knowledge, what potential long-term solutions could be implemented to overcome barriers and promote the widespread adoption of food waste recycling in Hong Kong?

Question prompts:

1. List TWO observations regarding the distribution of Hong Kong’s food waste bins.

2. Using Issue and your own knowledge, explain how a lack of proper bins could affect the widespread adoption of food waste recycling in Hong Kong.

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Smart recycling bins: special bins equipped with overflow prevention and odour reduction devices that collect food waste and maintain environmental hygiene. They can also measure and record the weight of recyclables automatically.

biodegradable: able to decay naturally and in a way that is not harmful to the environment

Environmental Protection Department: the department of the Hong Kong government responsible for developing and enforcing policies to protect the environment, including nature conservation, the collection, transfer, treatment and disposal of waste, and pollution complaints.

wholesale: the business of selling goods in large quantities and at low prices, typically to be sold by retailers at a profit.

pilot scheme for private housing estates: Last December, the government rolled out a scheme that allowed eligible large private housing estates to apply for food waste smart bins. The scheme included free installation and maintenance services for two years.

News:

1. B
2. Food waste in landfills is not sustainable or environmentally friendly. It depletes limited space, causes odour, produces harmful gases, and wastes valuable organic materials. It can also be recycled and turned into energy. (accept all reasonable answers)
3. According to Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, independent, family-run restaurants often lack the necessary physical space to separate usable food waste from non-food and unrecyclable items. Additionally, they may not have enough staff dedicated to waste management and recycling tasks. Another factor is the complexity of the guidelines, which can lead to confusion and mistakes in the sorting and disposal process.

Graphic:

1. You can find everything from rice and pasta to meat, poultry, fruit and vegetables, pastries, dim sum items, coffee grounds and tea leaves. (accept all reasonable answers)
2. Seafood shells, packaging and bones cannot be recycled.

Issue:

1. B
2. Some people have said they may start flushing their food waste down the toilet to save costs. Many low-income families are concerned about the extra financial burden of buying rubbish bags under the waste charging scheme once it launches in August. They are also worried about potential additional fees charged by landlords to cover increased cleaning workload.
3. In the short term, the government could provide more support to low-income families as the waste charging scheme begins. This includes expanding the recycling network and distributing free bags, setting up large bins in districts with more subdivided units, and allocating a budget to help low-income households dispose of large or oddly sized trash to reduce fire safety and hygiene risks. In the long run, they could ensure enough food waste bins in convenient locations and offer incentives for recycling food waste. (accept all reasonable answers)

Chart:

1. There are no food waste bins in Yau Tsim Mong, and there is an insufficient number of food waste bins in private housing estates. (accept all reasonable answers)
2. A shortage of food waste recycling bins discourages individuals and businesses from participating in food waste recycling programmes, since they may not have a bin nearby that makes it easy for them to recycle. As a result, they may resort to disposing of their food waste as regular garbage.