China is waging war on waste and Hong Kong needs to think bigger about how to manage its rubbish
- China is banning imports of trash and starting a zero-waste programme for cities. In Hong Kong, the authorities should consider passing a waste separation law if an economic deterrent is not enough to increase recycling rates
Japan’s plan includes collecting data on plastic waste flowing into the ocean, reducing plastic trash, charging for plastic shopping bags, developing biodegradables, installing recycling boxes next to drink vending machines, and pressing soft-drink makers to raise the recycling rate of plastic bottles to 100 per cent. Japan will also crack down on illegal waste dumping.
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The economics of waste needs to be overhauled for such a system to function: waste businesses need to be encouraged and expanded, and society needs to cooperate.
Forty-six major Chinese cities are set to establish waste separation systems by 2020, as will nearly 300 other cities by 2025.
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The question for Hong Kong is whether it will need to follow up the waste charging law with waste separation legislation. If an economic deterrent like a waste charge is not enough to reduce waste and increase recycling, then a law on waste separation might just be necessary.
Hong Kong and Macau are separate customs areas from the mainland, so China’s import ban on certain kinds of waste affects the two cities as much as other countries. Both cities lack land for large-scale recycling and processing, and they have to work harder at reducing waste than other major cities, such as Shanghai, Tokyo and New York, which can send their recyclables inland for processing.
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Hong Kong and Macau must reduce waste at source, develop ways to handle types of special waste, and – like Singapore – take a pragmatic approach to large-scale waste treatment. China wants clean recyclables, so the extent to which Hong Kong and Macau can export their waste to the mainland depends on how well they separate their recyclables to meet China’s increasingly stringent standards.
The Guangdong environmental authorities have indicated that the implementation of the zero-waste plan is a top priority. No doubt, there will be experiences Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau can share that will benefit them all.
In the meantime, regional campaigns to collect and analyse data, reduce food waste, improve waste separation, clean shorelines, and eliminate single-use plastic and styrofoam seem like no-brainers.
Christine Loh, a former undersecretary for the environment, is an adjunct professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology