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Will Hong Kong’s largest private recycling plant solve woes over plastic bottles waste?

  • German recycling giant Alba intends to create food-grade material from waste plastics that can be fed back into local manufacturing sector
  • But green group says challenge will be on how to collect waste from community and feed plant

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Discarded plastic bottles in Hong Kong can now no longer be shipped to the mainland for processing. Photo: Tory Ho

Hong Kong’s largest private plastics processing and recycling plant is expected to start taking in discarded drink bottles and turning them into safe materials that can be used with food products next year.

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Alba Group, the German recycling giant tasked with running the proposed facility in Tuen Mun’s EcoPark, said the plant would be the first of its scale to turn two common forms of household plastic waste into non-toxic recycled material.

An artist rendering of the plastic recycling plant in Tuen Mun. Photo: Handout
An artist rendering of the plastic recycling plant in Tuen Mun. Photo: Handout

The joint venture, which involves Swire Beverages and Baguio Waste Management & Recycling, will eventually build enough capacity to handle the entire domestic supply of recoverable waste bottles, according to the group.

The plant’s expected completion in 2020 will coincide with mainland China’s plans to shut its doors to all forms of solid waste imports, on top of the 24 types already banned since last year.

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