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Following is a question by the Hon James To Kun-sun and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, in the Legislative Council today (July 9):
Question:
It has been reported that at present, there are manufacturers in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the Mainland who recover beverage cartons (cartons) for recycling. The manufacturers concerned separate and recover pulped fibres (which constitute around 75 per cent of the component materials of cartons), plastics and aluminium by shredding the cartons. While pulped fibres can be used for manufacturing recycled paper and other paper products or for generating electricity by combustion, plastics and aluminium can be used as secondary industrial raw materials. Nevertheless, as cartons are categorised as non-recyclable materials under the Programme on Source Separation of Waste of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), huge quantities of cartons are disposed of at landfills each day. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the respective quantities of cartons that were manufactured locally and imported in each of the past three years; if it has, of such quantities;
(2) whether it knows the current number of local manufacturers who recover cartons for recycling and the quantity of cartons recovered each year;
(3) of the justifications and criteria of EPD for categorising cartons as non-recyclable materials; and
(4) whether it has studied the possibility of launching a programme on recovering cartons for recycling in Hong Kong; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
(1) According to our understanding, there is no facility in Hong Kong for the manufacturing of cartons. All relevant packaging materials are imported from overseas. From 2010 to 2012, the annual disposal of cartons at the landfills each year was about 22 000 tonnes, 28 000 tonnes and 37 000 tonnes respectively. Most of such cartons were beverage cartons. As there is no facility in Hong Kong for the manufacturing or recycling of cartons, the disposal figures mentioned above should be similar to the total quantities of cartons imported from overseas.
(2) and (3) According to our understanding, at present, there is no facility in Hong Kong for the recycling of cartons. Neither are there recyclers to collect the materials concerned in the local market. In the absence of a circular economy, beverage cartons cannot be properly recycled in Hong Kong.
(4) We support the development of the recycling industry through various measures, such as the implementation of the Source Separation of Waste Programme, the identification of suitable sites for leasing to the recycling industry under short-term tenancy through bidding, the development of the EcoPark to provide long-term land for recycling use, the operation of the Innovation and Technology Fund, the Environment and Conservation Fund and various funds for small and medium enterprises to encourage and facilitate recyclers to develop recycling technologies. In addition, the Chief Secretary for Administration set up the Steering Committee to Promote the Sustainable Development of the Recycling Industry in August 2013 to support the development of the local recovery and recycling industries. We have been monitoring the industries' intention to introduce recycling technologies for beverage cartons and will assess the feasibility of implementing a beverage carton recycling programme in Hong Kong in the light of the latest situation.
Ends/Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Issued at HKT 12:55
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