Amidst the recent heated discussions about waste reduction, many citizens have taken the first step towards environmental protection with good intentions, but they are often met with a frustrating reality. Carrying a bag of dripping, smelly kitchen waste, searching for smart recycling bins on the street, and even returning home disappointed when the machines are full or malfunctioning, has become a daily annoyance. This seemingly insignificant pain point of "dripping kitchen waste" actually directly exposes a blind spot in the governance of the Hong Kong SAR government's promotion of a "circular economy."
In recent years, the government has been actively planning ambitious blueprints, such as reserving 32 hectares of land in Tuen Mun West for the development of circular economy industries, and hoping that I·PARK1 and I·PARK2 will process a total of 9,000 metric tons of waste per day to achieve "zero waste landfill." However, if the bureaucratic system lacks empathy and "implementation" when formulating policies, and even the most basic rural recycling network cannot be streamlined, the effectiveness of these multi-billion dollar macro-infrastructure projects will be greatly diminished.
The national circular economy exports green wisdom
Waste management is no longer simply a sanitation issue, but a core topic of international competition and national strategy. A United Nations report projects that by 2050, global municipal waste will reach 3.8 billion tons, enough to circle the Earth 25 times if packed into standard shipping containers. These staggering figures have caused unease in the international community, leading to a decision to take more proactive measures to address the global waste crisis. Consequently, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution in 2022 designating March 30th of each year as the "International Day for Zero Waste," aiming to emphasize the urgency of strengthening waste prevention and management and promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns.
The nation has already taken the lead in this regard, launching "Zero Waste Day" in 2018 to showcase its green wisdom to the world. Taking the National Palace Museum as an example, it has used over 60,000 recycled plastic bottles to develop eco-friendly cultural and creative products, reducing carbon emissions by up to 1.72 tons. Furthermore, it has guided over 21 million people to participate in "zero-waste tours," becoming a key demonstration project at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28). Chapter 50 of the 15th Five-Year Plan, released this year, explicitly proposes to "promote the development of a circular economy and improve the waste recycling system." The circular economy is no longer just about "recycling," but has spawned new industrial sectors such as green design and green packaging.
Micro-level supporting facilities should be integrated to fill infrastructure gaps.
Faced with this new engine driving high-quality development, Hong Kong must not lag behind the nation. However, looking at Hong Kong's reality, even the most basic task of food waste recycling is a tough battle. According to the government's "Waste Statistics 2024," of the 10,510 metric tons of municipal solid waste disposed of in landfills daily in Hong Kong, food waste accounts for a staggering 3,001 metric tons, or about 30%, ranking first among all categories. The per capita amount of household food waste in Hong Kong reaches 0.27 kg per day, consistently ranking among the highest in the world.
This year's "International Zero Waste Day" focuses on food waste, and recycling kitchen waste is a crucial part of building a circular food system. However, during a recent visit to some rural areas, I heard many villagers complaining bitterly. They pointed out that there is a lack of recycling facilities in the villages, and carrying kitchen waste along long village roads is already a major ordeal. Even if they manage to reach the recycling point, there are often no washing facilities nearby, making it common to accidentally get their hands and clothes dirty.
Faced with such a massive amount of food waste, the government's "Smart Recycling System Pilot Program," while covering some rural areas, still leaves many villages lacking equipment support. As citizens' environmental awareness gradually increases, the obstacle to effective recycling is no longer mindset, but rather the severe lack of human-centered infrastructure design. Requiring villagers to carry dripping food waste a long way to recycling is clearly a manifestation of the administrative system's lack of empathy and practicality in policy-making.
Precise targeting of rural areas to achieve zero waste landfill
To bridge this "last mile," the Hong Kong SAR government must shift its mindset from simply "providing facilities" to "providing services." In the short term, the authorities should pilot the arrangement of food waste recycling trucks for rural residents, with trucks stopping at village entrances on specific days and times each week, allowing residents to quickly participate in recycling. The government might consider an unprecedented nationwide rural experiment, deploying food waste recycling trucks to visit various villages on a single day to create a tangible impression for residents that "food waste recycling, delivered to their doorstep, is within easy reach."
In the long run, the authorities must strengthen their collaboration with rural committees and village representatives, widely consult local opinions, and install simple cleaning equipment next to existing recycling facilities. Promoting a circular economy cannot rely solely on a few large incinerators or grand industrial park plans. If even the most basic rural recycling network cannot be established, no matter how massive the infrastructure projects, Hong Kong's vision of "zero waste landfill" will likely remain nothing more than empty rhetoric.
[Hong Kong 01]: https://www.hk01.com/01论坛/60335872/潘学智-打通乡郊回收-最后里路
