To encourage the recovery and recycling of yard waste in the community, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (February 4) called on members of the public and commercial and industrial (C&I) organisations to recycle peach blossom trees (PBTs) intended for disposal after the Chinese New Year under the PBTs Recycling Programme. The Programme arrangements are as follows:
- Collection period: February 20 (Saturday) to 27 (Saturday);
- Collection points: A central collection point (CCP) in the EcoPark, Tuen Mun, and 52 district collection points (DCPs) (including 37 refuse collection points, six Outlying Islands Transfer Facilities and nine Recycling Stations). Please refer to the Annex for the locations and opening hours of the collection points. If members of the public and C&I organisations need to recycle PBTs before the collection period or from February 28 to March 6, appointments should be made with the EPD's contractor (Tel: 5743 9221) prior to the delivery of the PBTs to the CCP in the EcoPark.
An EPD spokesman said that the number of DCPs has increased from 43 last year to 52 this year in order to facilitate public participation in the Programme. Upon the commissioning of the yard waste recycling centre, Y‧PARK, in the second quarter of 2021 tentatively, suitable PBTs and other yard waste will be turned into more types of useful materials, such as compost and mulch for gardening and planting, wood boards and wood beams to facilitate its reuse, recycling or upcycling into decoration and wood art products, etc.
The Programme is limited to the recycling of PBTs. Members of the public should pay attention to clean recycling, and all decorations, including fai chun and tape on the PBTs, should be removed before delivery to facilitate subsequent recycling processes. They are also encouraged to replant small potted plants such as tangerine trees and reuse festival decorations to help reduce waste and conserve resources. Furthermore, the recently completed Natural Christmas Trees (NCT) Recycling Programme has received a total of about 3 000 NCTs, reducing by about 30 tonnes the amount of yard waste disposed of at landfills. The quantity of yard waste collected was comparable with the amounts in the past two years despite the epidemic.
An e-certificate will be issued to the participants who deliver PBTs to the CCP or the Recycling Stations for recycling. Participants will also receive a gift upon delivery of PBTs to the Recycling Stations while stocks last. For details of the Programme, please visit the Hong Kong Waste Reduction Website at www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en/Peach_Blossom_Trees_Recycling_Programme_2021.htm.
In addition, there is co-operation between the PBTs Recycling Programme and the "GREEN$ Electronic Participation Incentive Scheme" this year. Participants who recycle PBTs at the Recycling Stations within the collection period can register to receive a GREEN$ Card, to earn GREEN$ for redemption of gift items when submitting recyclables. For details of the "GREEN$ Electronic Participation Incentive Scheme", please visit the Hong Kong Waste Reduction website at www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en/community/crn_intro.htm.
The EPD also welcomes other organisations and associations to provide recycling services for PBTs to help the public and C&I organisations to participate and enhance waste reduction efforts for all.
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