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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

(i) the introduction of bottle banks; and (ii) the separate collection of papers.

to

DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG, CHAIRMAN OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English):-This question is in two parts. Both concern the recycling of waste. The first is about the introduction of bottle banks to collect glass bottles; the second is about separate collection of paper. The answer to the first part of the question is 'No'. There is at present no plan to set up bottle banks. A 'bottle bank' is an euphemistic term taken to mean a collection point for glass bottles to facilitate recycling. As practised in some places in Europe, the 'bank' is a roadside builder's skip (a gondola-shape container for the collection of construction wastes) modified to consist of several compartments each of which is intended to collect bottles of a particular colour (e.g. brown, red, green, black, clear, etc.) through apertures at the top. These are usually placed near market areas, supermarkets, wine stores, or any place convenient to the public yet without causing obstruction to both pedestrian or vehicular traffic. The public is urged to bring bottles they want to discard and drop them into the right apertures according to their respective colours. The glass thus collected is sold to glass manufacturers for recycling. Success of this recycling scheme depends mainly on the willing co-operation of the public who would not mind taking the bottles to the 'bank', sort them out according to their colours and deposit them into the right apertures, apart from finding a suitable and convenient place to position the skip as well as getting a steady market for the bottles.

In Hong Kong, recycling of waste is extensively practised by private refuse collectors (PRCs) whose job is to collect refuse from buildings (be they domestic or commercial), for a fee and take them usually to the nearest refuse collection points (RCPs) managed by the Council. Glass, after having gone through sorting by PRCs, arrives at the RCPs as cullet and bottles of little resale value within the heterogeneous mass of refuse of diverse description. To illustrate the extent of glass recycling by the private sector in Hong Kong, the following tell-tale statistics prepared by the Director of Environmental Protection (DEP) are of significance:

Export of Waste Materials-Glass

1985: 816 tonnes

1986: 822 tonnes 1987: 556 tonnes

The above figures show that glass recycling is very active in the private sector. Research carried out by the DEP reveals, unlike cities elsewhere, Hong Kong refuse is relatively low in glass content. DEP attributes this to the limited use of glass bottles in Hong Kong, and the effectiveness of existing recycling arrangements. It would not be wise for the Council to compete with the private sector in collecting bottles for resale. The expense in getting vehicles, equipment

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and staff for collecting and emptying skips would be, given the fact that almost all recyclable glass is already recycled, more than the proceeds of selling the glass.

The answer to the second part of the question is again 'No'. Like glass, the paper content in refuse as collected at RCPs is low when compared with other cities in developed countries, according to research carried out by the DEP. The following figures compiled by the DEP are again of significance:

Export of Waste Materials-Paper

1985: 384,283 tonnes 1986: 503,033 tonnes 1987: 582,057 tonnes

The above figures demonstrate the high degree of paper recycling by the private sector including the private refuse collectors who again sort out the salvageables before delivering the refuse to the RCPs.

Overseas, in places where door to door refuse collection service is provided, separate collection of paper takes the form often with the promise by the local authority that less rates will be levied due to the proceeds derived from the sale of paper of asking householders to sort out the discarded magazines, books and newspapers in bundles to facilitate collection by the cleansing authority at their doorsteps. Door to door collection service in Hong Kong, however, is not a viable proposition owing to the crowded streets and the high population density, except in outlying areas with low population density.

The DEP estimates that in Hong Kong the quantity of paper and paperboard exported in 1987 was equivalent to 14% of the total quantity of municipal solid waste produced. This can be taken to mean that recycling of paper in Hong Kong is exceedingly efficient already. Attempts by the Council to assist in this regard are unnecessary.

7. MR. FREDERICK K. K. FUNG asked the following question (in Cantonese):-

(i) Will the report prepared by Architectural Services Department on the feasibility study of the conversion of Maple Street Playground into a UC Complex be published for public information?

(ii) What are the main contents of the report?

(iii) At this stage, what problems have to be solved before the redevelopment of Pei Ho Street Market can commence?

(iv) What plans are being made by the Council to solve these problems?

MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN, CHAIRMAN OF THE MARKETS AND STREET TRADERS SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English):---The question by Mr. FUNG is in four parts, the first requesting whether the report prepared by Architectural Services Department on the feasibility of converting Maple Street