New Scheme to Up Plastic Recycling Rates in Hong Kong Gets Broad Support

Reloop Platform works with governments, industry, and society to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): A new waste management scheme that the Hong Kong government is designing could reduce the amount of unrecycled plastics and their adverse impacts on the environment but higher rebates are needed to motivate residents to take part in the initiative for the long term, according to a survey. 

Home to almost 7.5 million residents, Hong Kong lags when it comes to cutting waste, with the average person discarding 1.4 kilogrammes of waste each day – more than double that of Asian cities such as Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei. An estimated 5 million plastic bottles make it into Hong Kong landfills each day, according to The Green Earth, a Hong Kong-based environmental organisation that promotes resource conservation. 

Government statistics show that waste plastics account for roughly 20 per cent of the city’s total municipal solid waste disposal, and less than 6 per cent is recycled.

To reduce the amount of plastic entering the environment and for plastic waste to be converted into reusable resources, the Hong Kong government is drafting a new Producer Responsibility Scheme (PRS) for the collection and recycling of plastic beverage containers and beverage cartons.

The latest findings from a survey conducted by Eco-Business and international non-profit Reloop Platform indicate support for the upcoming initiative, with 86.4 per cent of survey respondents backing it, and more than 66 per cent of them noting that they already recycle their beverage containers most or all the time. 

The study, which surveyed mainly young professionals between the ages of 25 to 34 who are based in Hong Kong, from October to December 2023, however also found that only 9 per cent of respondents believed that a current rebate of HK$0.10 (US$0.013) provides enough incentive for people to recycle plastic bottles via a reverse vending machine.

More than half of the respondents (57.6 per cent) support increasing the refund value to between HK$0.50 to HK$1 (about US$0.065 to US$0.13) – which is at least five to 10 times the current rate. 

The low rebate pales in comparison to other values found in Europe, for instance, with the most successful European schemes legislating a deposit and refund of €0.25 (around US$0.27 or HK$2.15), according to Global Deposit Book 2022, a global analysis conducted by non-profit organisation Reloop Platform, on over 50 deposit systems that are currently in place.

Reloop Platform works with governments, industry, and society to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

The study found that the success rate of beverage container deposit schemes largely depends on a deposit paid by consumers and that the deposit paid by and refunded to consumers is meaningful enough for them to participate in the scheme.

Many jurisdictions require individuals to pay on top of their purchase of single-use plastic, glass, or canned beverages. This deposit is then refunded to consumers when they return their containers to a designated collection point.

There are around 60 reverse vending machines across Hong Kong now, set up by the city’s Environmental Protection Department (EPD). Hong Kong residents can receive the HK$0.10 rebate per bottle electronically or donate the proceeds to a charity of their choice. The bottles are then brought to suitable recyclers for proper treatment and recycling locally. 

 Courtesy: www.eco-business.com

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