Category: INSIGHTS

/ REPOST from THE STANDARD/

Collection of food waste in Hong Kong has surged by 70 percent, reaching 300 tonnes daily, following the installation of 740 smart recycling bins by the Environmental Protection Department in public rental housing estates as of July.

The contractors responsible for these bins have equipped them with advanced features, including disinfection, deodorization and pest control systems, ensuring high hygiene standards.

The bins are also connected to a big-data platform for effective monitoring.

Lawson Lau Wai-yan, executive director of Cornerstone, said each smart recycling bin is linked to the big-data platform, which monitors food waste trends across different estates.

“This data can help analyze residents’ recycling habits and participation rates, aiding in the effective planning of food-waste initiatives,” he said.

To enhance the bins’ stability and longevity, the contractor plans to periodically upgrade the units by installing new antennas and replacing aging components.

A cleaner at Tak Long Estate in Kowloon City said many residents have taken to regular food waste recycling since the bins were introduced.

The estate currently has eight smart recycling bins, and the cleaner said the team is familiar with residents’ recycling patterns, ensuring that bins are seldom overfull.

“Residents understand the recycling rules well; they know that raw, cooked, leftover or spoiled food can be recycled, while items with excessive moisture, disposable tableware and lunch boxes should not be placed in the bins,” she said.

To maintain hygiene, cleaners regularly sanitize the edges of the bins with bleach and replenish hand sanitizer and deodorant.

The government’s food waste smart recycling bins come from various contractors with distinct designs.

Citizens are encouraged to recognize the bins by their fishbone pattern and the Environmental Protection Department’s logo.

To read more, please visit and reference to the link from THE STANDARD: Contractors taste success over food-waste recycling.

Issued on Sept 09, 2024

(English Version Only)

/REPOST from The Standard/

Official data showed that only 449 Smart Food Waste Bins were installed across the city as of mid-December last year, serving approximately 1,000 buildings. There are no smart recycling bins in Wan Chai District and Yau Tsim Mong District, while all private estates in Central and Western District, Southern District, Sham Shui Po, and Tai Po also lack such facilities.

The Environmental Protection Department previously announced that Smart Food Waste Bins would be installed in all public housing estates within this year to collect food waste. As for private housing courts, subsidy schemes are available to help them install food waste collection facilities.

To read more, please visit and reference to the link from The Standard.

Issued on Jan 24, 2024

(English Version Only)

/REPOST from The Standard/

Hong Kong’s first reusable food container lending machine for the public

MTR Corporation is providing a sustainable alternative to plastic single-use takeaway boxes in its reusable food-container self-service lending machine and collection machine at MTR Hong Kong Station, the first of its kind in the MTR network.

This pioneering initiative “Embarking on a Green Journey by Choosing to Reuse – Reusable Food Container Scheme”, is the extension of a reusable food packaging pilot scheme initiated by foodpanda Hong Kong (foodpanda) and World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) with support from the Environment and Conservation Fund.

The programme allows the general public to easily borrow and return reusable food containers, thereby empowering everyone to contribute to a more sustainable planet by living an eco-friendly and low-carbon lifestyle.

Apart from introducing the new self-service food container machine at Hong Kong Station, MTR Corporation has also added 2,000 reusable food containers into the programme, increasing the number of reusable food containers to 10,000.

After enjoying your meal, you can choose to keep the food container, or clean it and return it to the collection machine at Hong Kong Station, or any of the nine designated collection points on Hong Kong Island including the self-service collection machine in World-Wide House and Admiralty Centre, to retrieve your deposit.

Collected food containers will undergo thorough cleansing and sterilization by foodpanda in collaboration with gategroup Solutions Hong Kong Limited and Bright Services Company Limited, a social enterprise under SideBySide, after which they will be delivered to partner restaurants and the lending machine at Hong Kong Station.

An additional collection point at Sai Ying Pun Station will be available in the first quarter of next year, adding convenience for people to return their reusable containers.

At Shop 11A of Hong Kong Station, you will also find useful tips and messages by WWF on protecting the environment and reducing the use of plastics.

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Nine designated collection points for reusable food containers on Hong Kong Island:

– Central Market, 2/F
– Standard Chartered Bank Building 1/F
– World-Wide House, G/F
– Phase 3, Pacific Place, B1/F
– Admiralty Centre, 1/F
– Lee Tung Avenue, B1/F
– Fashion Walk 1/F
– Phase 1, Exchange Square , 3/F
– Time Square, B5/F

To read more, please visit and reference to the link from The Standard.

Issued on Dec 13, 2023

(English Version Only)

/ REPOST /

More than 40 percent of residents used the smart recycling bins under the food waste collection trial scheme in public rental housing estates since last October, with over 400 tonnes of food waste collected.

The 18-month trial scheme, launched by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), covered about 30 blocks in five public rental housing estates in Aberdeen, Ngau Tau Kok, Tseung Kwan O, Kennedy Town and Chai Wan in the first phase.

The scheme aims to encourage the practices of food waste source separation, collection and recycling, which can mitigate environmental hygiene problems and reduce the burden on landfills.

To read more, please visit and reference to the link from the Standard.

To watch video, please visit the facebook page of news.gov.hk (chinese version only).

Issued on July 09, 2023

(English Version Only)