The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, attended the launch ceremony of the Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Smart Recycling Bins in Private Housing Estates at Sceneway Garden in Lam Tin today (March 14), witnessing the introduction of the first batch of food waste smart recycling bins (FWSRBs) into large-scale private housing estates.
To support the Government's initiative to expand the food waste collection network, the Environmental Campaign Committee has subsidised through the Environment and Conservation Fund to support the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) to roll out the Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Smart Recycling Bins in Private Housing Estates. The Scheme, which started accepting applications at the end of December last year, provides eligible large-scale private housing estates with free FWSRBs, including installation and relevant maintenance services, for a period of two years.
During the launch ceremony, Mr Tse said, "Domestic food waste accounts for about 70 per cent of the total amount of food waste disposed of in landfills, and over 60 per cent of the population in Hong Kong resides in private residential buildings. Therefore, we have launched this Scheme to facilitate food waste recycling for residents. I am pleased to learn that the Scheme has received an overwhelming response since its launch, with over 100 housing estates submitting applications as of early March this year. We have gradually approved the applications and started the installation of the FWSRBs. It is expected that in 2024-25, along with various programmes to support private residential buildings under the Recycling Fund and the Environment and Conservation Fund, over 300 FWSRBs will be put into service in private housing estates."
The FWSRBs provided by the Scheme are equipped with overflow prevention and odour abatement devices to maintain environmental hygiene. The FWSRBs are also connected to the EPD's GREEN$ Electronic Participation Incentive Scheme platform. When residents participate in food waste recycling, they not only contribute to environmental protection but also earn GREEN$ points for redeeming gifts. In addition, through the application of Internet of Things technology, operational data is uploaded in real time to the central data system directly, which facilitates real-time monitoring of the operation of the devices.
Due to the positive response from housing estates, the EPD is now considering expanding the Scheme to accept applications from private housing estates with fewer than 1 000 units. Further details will be announced in due course.
In addition to private housing estates, the EPD is working together with the Housing Department and the Hong Kong Housing Society to expand at full steam the smart food waste recycling services, aiming to substantially complete the installation of over 700 FWSRBs in 213 public rental housing estates (a total of approximately 1 500 blocks) across the territory by August this year, covering about one-third of the population in Hong Kong.
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