ENG-2014 — Page 299

14

The Environment

The government is progressively setting up a Community Green Station (CGS) in each of the 18 districts and the EPD will appoint a non-profit-making organisation by way of open tender to operate and provide funding for each CGS. The first CGS will start operation in Sha Tin in early 2015.

Food Wise Hong Kong Campaign

The government's Food Wise Hong Kong Campaign, rolled out in 2013, seeks to drive. behavioural change and encourage the community, from individuals to households to commercial and industrial operators, to avoid and reduce food waste at source.

Surplus Food Donation

The government has increased support to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in collecting edible surplus or 'close-to-expiry' foods from supermarkets, wet markets, restaurants, clubs and hotels for donation to the needy in the community. NGOs can apply for funding from the Environment and Conservation Fund for projects to reduce food waste.

Waste Recycling

The EPD actively supports the recycling trade and has stepped up publicity efforts to educate the public to reduce waste at source, separate waste properly to prevent contamination of recyclables, improve the quality of recyclables collected and lessen the burden of subsequent treatment.

In each of the last five years, the MSW recovery rate of paper waste was between 61 per cent and 65 per cent and of metal waste between 87 per cent and 93 per cent. Over the same period, the MSW recovery rate of plastics waste dropped from 71 per cent to 26 per cent.

Over 90 per cent of recyclable MSW is exported for recycling outside Hong Kong every year, with plastics, paper and metals contributing over 90 per cent of recovered waste. The government also promotes local recycling and has developed a 20-hectare EcoPark in Tuen Mun Area 38 for exclusive use by the recycling industry.

Between 2009 and 2013, the overall recovery rate of solid wastes in Hong Kong, including MSW and construction waste, was between 78 per cent and 85 per cent each year, with an annual average of 21 million tonnes recovered, 37 per cent higher than the annual average of 15 million tonnes between 2004 and 2008.

Recycling Fund

The Chief Executive announced in the 2014 Policy Address that the government had earmarked $1 billion to launch a Recycling Fund to promote the sustainable development of the recycling industry in Hong Kong. The Recycling Fund aims to support projects that raise the quantity and quality of recyclables recovered, thus reducing landfill disposal, and to support projects that promote markets for recycled products and enhance the recycling industry's overall capability, capacity and skills.

243