Edwin Lau

Opinion | How Hong Kong’s already-serious waste problem has got worse during the pandemic

As use of plastic dining utensils spiked in 2020 due to Covid-19, recycling rates dropped to their lowest levels since 1997

Given that 7 per cent of Hong Kong’s carbon emissions come from landfills, reducing and recycling waste has to be a priority to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050

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Use of plastic and foam dining ware increased last year as Covid-19 restrictions prevented people from eating out. Photo: Edmond So

Edwin Lau

Published: 12:30pm, 19 Dec 2021

When the new Legislative Council term begins, conducting a thorough examination of waste management policy should be top of the agenda. The figures in the newly released report, Monitoring on Solid Waste for 2020, are disappointing, to say the least.

The report shows that Hong Kong’s waste problem has worsened over the past year. And, with almost all large-scale activities suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, essential policies and actions such as municipal waste charging and promotion for waste avoidance at source have yet to be rolled out.

The daily amount of municipal solid waste sent to landfills dropped by 2.2 per cent last year compared to 2019, but the overall recycling rate has also dropped – to a new low of 28 per cent. This is the second time since 1997 that the recycling rate has fallen below 30 per cent.

As such, questions should be asked about our recycling systems, both those provided by the government in public spaces and those managed by businesses in private spaces.

Recycling facilities at private venues usually look better than the public recycling bins. But whether the back end recycling operations are truly reliable is worthy of investigation.

Overall, food waste has been reduced by 2.9 per cent. However, while food waste generated from the commercial and industrial sector has dropped by 27 per cent, waste from the domestic sector has increased by 8.35 per cent. This is a predictable outcome given the restrictions on in-restaurant dining.

Opinion | How Hong Kong’s already-serious waste problem has got worse during the pandemic

As use of plastic dining utensils spiked in 2020 due to Covid-19, recycling rates dropped to their lowest levels since 1997 Given that 7 per cent of Hong Kong’s carbon emissions come from landfills, reducing and recycling waste has to be a priority to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050

As use of plastic dining utensils spiked in 2020 due to Covid-19, recycling rates dropped to their lowest levels since 1997

Given that 7 per cent of Hong Kong’s carbon emissions come from landfills, reducing and recycling waste has to be a priority to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050