​The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) announced today (December 7) that Rocsky International Limited (the tenant) has been awarded a 20-year lease for EcoPark Lots P1, P5, P6 and P7 to develop a local waste paper recycling and manufacturing plant through open tender.
According to the lease, the tenant will build and operate, on four adjacent lots (about 2 hectares in total) in the EcoPark, a local waste paper recycling and manufacturing plant capable of processing 300 000 tonnes of local waste paper a year. This capacity is sufficient to process about one third of the total waste paper recovered in Hong Kong per year (800 000 tonnes according to the 2016 statistics).
An EPD spokesperson said, "As waste paper makes up the largest proportion of our local recyclables, we have accorded priority to the development of a recycling plant capable of processing local waste paper. The waste paper recycling and manufacturing plant will commence design and construction in 2019 and is expected to be put into operation in 2023. The local waste paper collected by the plant will be turned into high-strength corrugated paper, semi-dry pulp and other materials. These products and raw materials will be sold locally and outside Hong Kong."
The EPD will continue its efforts in the promotion and education of clean recycling, and with the support of the Recycling Fund will continue to launch suitable and timely programmes to facilitate the local waste paper recycling industry to raise the quality of recovered waste paper, enhance its competitiveness in the market and open up more diverse outlets.
To foster the development of the local recycling industry, the Government set up the EcoPark in Tuen Mun. The lots in the EcoPark are installed with basic utilities including a road network, water and power supply, sewerage system, telecommunication, standard berthing piers, a weighbridge and a conference hall, and are leased at affordable rent to the recycling industry. This aims to encourage the recycling industry to invest in advanced technology and value-added recycling processes to help process locally recovered materials. For more information about the EcoPark, please visit the EcoPark website at www.ecopark.com.hk.
The waste paper recycling and manufacturing plant will be the first one established in Hong Kong since the closure of the local paper mills some 10 years ago. The EPD is also actively working with other relevant government departments on multi-pronged measures to support the operation and development of the local recycling industry.
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