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The Pilot Programme on Source Separation of Glass Bottles has been extended to cover all 29 public rental housing (PRH) estates in the East Kowloon region, enabling more people to participate in glass recycling for building a greener Hong Kong.
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) in collaboration with the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA) in mid-December 2010 launched the Pilot Programme on Source Separation of Glass Bottles in phases at PRH estates in East Kowloon for the promotion of glass bottle recycling.
An EPD spokesman today (October 18) said, "The Government has been encouraging the public to participate in waste separation at source so as to reduce waste disposal and promote recycling. The extension of the Pilot Programme to cover all the PRH estates in East Kowloon has marked a new phase in glass recycling. The Government will continue to devote effort to encourage the community to participate in waste separation at source and recycling with a view to paving the way for the implementation of territory-wide glass bottle recycling in the future."
The spokesman added, "Light green glass bottle recycling bins have been placed alongside the three coloured waste separation bins at the lobbies or near the entrances of residential blocks at the participating estates to enable residents to separate waste for recycling. The EPD and the HKHA will continue to explore how the glass bottle recycling programme could be extended further to PRH estates in other districts."
The EPD and the HKHA jointly launched the Pilot Programme on Source Separation of Glass Bottles in mid-December 2010 at six selected PRH estates in East Kowloon, namely Choi Ying Estate, Shun Lee Estate, Shun On Estate, Shun Tin Estate, Upper Ngau Tau Kok Estate and Yau Lai Estate. This pilot programme was extended at the end of May 2012 to cover another 14 PRH estates, comprising Choi Fook Estate, Choi Tak Estate, Kai Tin Estate, Ko Cheung Court, Kwong Tin Estate, Lam Tin Estate, On Tin Estate, Ping Tin Estate, Po Tat Estate, Sau Mau Ping Estate, Sau Mau Ping South Estate, Tsui Ping (South) Estate, Wan Hon Estate and Yau Tong Estate. By the end of September 2012, around 145 tonnes of glass or some 360,000 glass bottles had been collected for recycling under this pilot programme. The results are encouraging.
The EPD spokesman said in order to encourage more people to take part in glass recycling, the EPD and the HKHA have further extended the pilot programme to cover all the 29 PRH estates in East Kowloon this month. The nine new PRH estates joining the programme are Choi Hung Estate, Kai Yip Estate, Ko Yee Estate, Lei Yue Mun Estate, Lok Wah (North) Estate, Lok Wah (South) Estate, Ping Shek Estate, Wo Lok Estate and the newly established Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate (which will start implementing glass bottle recycling in January 2013).
The glass bottles collected under the programme will mainly be recycled into glass sand for the production of eco-friendly paving blocks. The spokesman said the EPD is working with relevant departments to look into other feasible recycling outlets for glass for extending the programme further.
Ends/Thursday, October 18, 2012
Issued at HKT 16:06
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