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The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) announced today (March 2) that the EPD and Yan Oi Tong (YOT) have mutually agreed to gradually shift the work of the Plastic Resources Recycling Centre (PRRC) at the EcoPark in Tuen Mun to the community through collaboration with the market. An EPD spokesman said that the move has taken into account the achievements made by the PRRC in establishing a stable recycling network for waste plastics in the community over the past six years and that a number of existing and new projects have been introduced to provide public education and promote environmental awareness. In addition, the recycling market has the capacity to absorb sorted and quality waste plastics.
Funded by the Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF) and managed by YOT, the PRRC has been operating since 2010 to conduct public education and promote recycling through on-site demonstration of turning waste plastics into reusable materials. In addition, the PRRC has been assisting the local community to establish a stable recycling network for waste plastics to alleviate pressure on landfills. Over the past six years, the PRRC has established connections with over 900 collaboration partners with more than 1,000 collection points being set up. It has been visited by more than 42,000 people. Moreover, it has already handled over 8,500 tonnes of waste plastics collected from the community and enterprises.
The EPD spokesman said that the PRRC will continue to operate until the end of 2016, and in the meantime the EPD will assist YOT to refer the latter's partners to private recyclers for continuing with their waste plastics collection services in the community. The EPD and the ECF will allocate additional resources to step up public education efforts in the community. At the same time, the Government will enhance collaboration with the market to promote waste plastic recycling in a more sustainable manner.
To tie in with the strategy in deepening the promotion of recycling, the promotional role of the PRRC will be shared by other projects funded by the ECF and the Government, including the 19 Community Recycling Centres and the Community Green Stations. The ECF and the Government will continue to allocate all necessary resources to enhance promotion of clean recycling. Furthermore, the collection and handling of waste plastics will be taken up by the existing community network through market mechanisms.
The spokesman said, "We would like to express our gratitude to YOT for its dedicated efforts and allocation of its own resources for managing the PRRC and promoting waste reduction and recycling in the past six years. In the coming months, YOT and the EPD will proactively render assistance to relevant organisations for making proper transitional arrangements to assist the public to continue to participate in recycling.
"We have liaised with the recycling trade and understand that there is market demand for clean and sorted waste plastics. Members of the public should therefore practise sorting of waste at source and clean recycling to avoid recyclables being mixed with other non-recyclables or contaminated. Doing so can also help raise the quantity, quality and value of the recyclables in order to reduce the amount of waste being disposed of at landfills, as well as maintain environmental hygiene."
Members of the public may call the EPD's hotline at 2838 3111 for information about the recycling of waste plastics and other recyclables.
Ends/Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Issued at HKT 16:41
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