Contractors taste success over food-waste recycling

/ 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)

Hong Kong lawmakers urge wider distribution of food waste collection bins

/ REPOST from SCMP/

Lawmakers and a scholar have urged Hong Kong authorities to expand the distribution of collection bins for food scraps to cover all districts and residential estates, as the government ramps up publicity over a waste-charging scheme postponed amid public confusion.

The department said 100 public housing estates would welcome the first batch before February 10, ahead of the waste-charging scheme’s introduction on August 1. Authorities also aimed to install another 100 bins at 30 private housing estates.

Authorities procure food waste bins and cover the related rental expenses, including repair and maintenance fees as part of the initiative. One smart bin is allocated for every 500 households, while a maximum of 20 bins can be granted to a private housing estate.

Leung urged the government to take “proactive steps” to promote the offer, noting that six districts, including Wan Chai, Central and Western, and Southern, did not currently have official food recycling bins.

 

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

Issued on Jan 25, 2024

(English Version Only)

Hong Kong lacks food waste bins in eco-friendly push

/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)

MTR joins hands with foodpanda HK and WWF to promote plastic reduction

/REPOST from Marketing Interactive/

Starting 12 December 2023, the reusable food-container self-service lending and collection machines are ready for public use at Level 1 at Hong Kong Station, while the reusable food-container can also be returned to nine other designated collection points, including the World-Wide House and Admiralty Centre. One more collection point is planned for Sai Ying Pun Station, and it will become available in the first quarter of 2024.  

This tripartite collaboration will last until at least July 2024, while involved partners will review its effectiveness to explore further opportunities for collaboration, according to the statement. 

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

Issued on Dec 13, 2023

(English Version Only)

Enjoy your disposable plastic-free takeaway as MTR steps up efforts to go plastic-free across its entire network

/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)

Over 400 tonnes food waste collected in the first six months via trial scheme

/ 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).

Cornerstone Smartclassify food waste collection bin

Issued on July 09, 2023

(English Version Only)

Effective food waste solution

/ REPOST /

To encourage residents to practise separating their food waste at home so that it can be properly collected and recycled, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) introduced smart recycling bins that have resulted in multiple green benefits, such as reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills, and an opportunity for citizens to redeem points for gifts.

Smart features

The built-in weight and fill level sensors can prevent the bins from overflowing. Plus, they are equipped with odour abatement devices that automatically spray a deodorant at regular intervals to reduce odour. The dosing frequency and amount of the deodorant spray can be adjusted according to actual needs.

The EPD is also working with the Housing Department and the Housing Society after it launched an 18-month food waste collection trial scheme at public rental housing estates starting from October last year.

The waste collected can be turned into green energy, such as producing electricity. Plus, composting it at food waste recycling facilities will reduce the burden on landfills.

Environmental Protection Department Senior Environmental Protection Officer (Waste Reduction & Community Recycling) Kenneth Tong explained that the first phase of the scheme, involving about 30 blocks in five public rental housing estates, commenced in the fourth quarter of 2022.

He added that the EPD gradually expanded its food waste collection network as the second phase of the trial scheme commenced in other housing estates in the New Territories and Kowloon since March this year.

 

To read more, please visit and reference to the link from news.gov.hk

With facebook video in Chinese version attached

Cornerstone Smartclassify food waste collection bin

Issued on July 09, 2023

Claims about recycling bins refuted

/ REPOST /

The smart recycling bins used in the trial scheme are equipped with odour abatement devices and adopt an impermeable and enclosed design.

Additionally, the odour will be dispersed in the air as the bins are usually installed in outdoor and fully ventilated places. The department stressed that it is inappropriate for the company concerned to use indoor air quality objectives for comparison with the smart recycling bins placed outdoors, and claim that air pollutants generated from the bins exceed the prescribed threshold by 10 times.

The department also pointed out that residents responded positively to the design and operation of smart food waste recycling bins. They actively participated in smart food waste recycling with an increasing quantity of food waste collected

Currently, six public rental housing estates including Shek Pai Wan Estate in Aberdeen, Choi Tak Estate in Ngau Tau Kok, Sheung Tak Estate in Tseung Kwan O, Lin Tsui Estate in Chai Wan, Kwun Lung Lau in Kennedy Town and Tin Heng Estate in Tin Shui Wai have participated in the trial scheme.

 

To read more, please visit and reference to the link from news.gov.hk

Issued on April 20, 2023

EPD launches food waste collection trial scheme in public rental housing estates

/ REPOST /

The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (October 30) launched an 18-month food waste collection trial scheme in public rental housing (PRH) estates. In the first phase of the trial, the EPD will progressively install smart recycling bins to collect food waste in about 30 blocks of five PRH estates under the Housing Department and the Hong Kong Housing Society.

At a publicity event held at Shek Pai Wan Estate in Aberdeen today to promote the trial scheme, the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, said that domestic food waste currently accounts for about 70 per cent of the total quantity of food waste disposed of in landfills. While 30 per cent of Hong Kong’s population (over 2 million) lives in PRH estates, the trial scheme thus targets PRH residents to encourage the practices of food waste source separation, collection and recycling, which can mitigate environmental hygiene problems caused by food waste and make good use of organic resources.

 

To read more, please visit and reference to the Press Release of the Government of HKSAR

Ends/Sunday, October 30, 2022
Issued at HKT 16:36

Foodpanda rolls out reusable packaging pilot programme

/ Repost /

To help reduce single-use plastics, foodpanda has partnered with Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF) and WWF-Hong Kong to roll out a reusable packaging programme.

Under the programme, foodpanda restaurant partners will start using reusable food containers when packing their customers’ orders.

Foodpanda will provide 8,000 reusable food containers to about 40 partner restaurants in the first phase of the programme which will last 11 months.

Customers will have to pay a deposit of $10 per container once the order is confirmed, regardless if it’s a delivery or a pick-up order.

The deposit will be refunded directly and immediately to the user’s Octopus wallet upon returning the container. Containers can be returned at the following collection points:

Central

3/F, One Exchange Square, 8 Connaught Place, Central (TBC)
1/F, Standard Chartered Bank Building, 4-4A Des Voeux Road Central, Central
G/F, World-Wide House, 19 Des Voeux Road Central, Central
2/F Central Market, 93 Queen’s Road Central, Central

Admiralty

L4 Lift Lobby, One Pacific Place, 88 Queensway
1/F, Admiralty Centre, 18 Harcourt Road

Wan Chai

B1/F, Lee Tung Avenue, 200 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai

Causeway Bay

1/F, Fashion Walk, Great George Street

 

To read more, please visit the link from Hong Kong Business.

Issued on Oct 30, 2022.

(English version only)