Following is a question by Dr the Hon Hoey Simon Lee and a written reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (September 10):
 
Question:
 
     During the debate on the Member's motion on "Expeditiously kick-starting the construction of a carbon inclusive market" in this Council on November 20 last year, the Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology stated that the Administration would draw reference from the development and experiences of carbon inclusive initiatives in different provinces and municipalities to explore the possibility of expanding schemes such as the GREEN$ scheme in Hong Kong, with a view to further encouraging members of the public to practise a green and low-carbon lifestyle. There are views that the current GREEN$ scheme, which aims to encourage public participation in resource separation and recycling activities in daily life, has yet to be developed into a more comprehensive, mature and systematic carbon inclusive mechanism. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) given that members of the public can currently earn GREEN$ Points by participating in recycling activities for redeeming gifts, and that different types of recyclables yield similar number of GREEN$ Points per kilogram or per piece, of the criteria the authorities have adopted to determine the number of GREEN$ Points for various types of recyclables;
 
(2) as it is learnt that some private organisations currently reward members of the public for their pro-environmental behaviour, such as recycling, by calculating the corresponding carbon reduction, so as to better incentivise the public, whether the authorities will consider drawing on such a practice to base GREEN$ Points on the carbon reduction of recyclables, thereby enhancing the appeal and effectiveness of the GREEN$ scheme;
 
(3) whether it will consider making reference to the Mainland mobile applications that record public carbon reduction behaviours, and expanding the scope of the GREEN$ scheme to incorporate various green and low-carbon behaviours across the categories of "clothing, food, accommodation and transport" into GREEN$ Points, so as to create a multi-dimensional carbon inclusive ecosystem;
 
(4) whether it will consider encouraging more businesses to participate in the GREEN$ scheme, such as by allowing GREEN$ Points to be used for redeeming shopping vouchers or enabling point interoperability with more reward platforms, so as to strengthen incentives for public participation in the scheme and stimulate local retail consumption while encouraging carbon reduction; and
 
(5) whether it will collaborate with other Mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to introduce a common carbon inclusive strategy or mechanism?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) launched the GREEN$ Electronic Participation Incentive Scheme (GREEN$ ePIS) in November 2020 to encourage more members of the public to integrate waste reduction and recycling habits into their daily lives. Through years of dedicated efforts by the EPD and support from the public, the GREEN$ ePIS has gradually evolved from an incentive scheme into a platform that facilitates collaborative efforts from various sectors of society to promote green waste reduction and recycling culture. It has successfully motivated public participation in waste separation and recycling, as well as cultivating recycling habits.
      
     The reply to the question raised by Dr the Hon Hoey Simon Lee is as follows:
 
(1) When determining the GREEN$ rewards for various types of recyclables, the EPD primarily considers the disposal quantity, recycling rate, and market value of different wastes. This approach aims to increase overall recycling quantity, reduce disposal quantity, and avoid direct competition with private recyclers in the market. For instance, food waste, plastic bottles and glass bottles, which have high disposal quantity but low recycling rates and market values, will earn more points to encourage public participation in recycling and fostering recycling habits, while other recyclables will use a standard point system.
 
(2) & (3) One of the Government's key carbon reduction strategies is to minimise waste disposal in landfills. Therefore, members of the public who submit recyclables with higher disposal quantity (such as food waste, plastic bottles and glass bottles) can earn more GREEN$ points, which aligns with the principle of promoting carbon reduction. Since February 2024, the EPD has partnered with Carbon Wallet, a carbon reduction reward platform under the MTR Corporation, to launch a pilot scheme. Users of GREEN$ mobile app can convert their GREEN$ points into Carbon Wallet points for redemption of various rewards related to low-carbon living, such as free MTR single journey tickets and local eco-tours. Members of the public can also earn points through Carbon Wallet for carbon reduction activities such as walking, taking MTR journeys, and adopting vegetarian diet. The collaboration between Carbon Wallet and GREEN$ ePIS encourages the public to take part in both recycling and carbon reduction activities, achieving significant synergy effects. We have also observed that, to promote a green and low-carbon lifestyle among the public, some provinces and municipalities in the Mainland have implemented carbon inclusive initiatives. For instance, they have launched apps to track public daily low-carbon activities, such as low-carbon commuting, energy and water conservation, and residential photovoltaic installations, to convert these actions into carbon coins. These carbon coins can be redeemed for gifts, including shop consumption vouchers and online ride-hailing coupons, with the purpose of promoting a green and low-carbon lifestyle. To encourage greater public participation in practising low-carbon living, the EPD will continue to explore collaborations with more carbon reduction reward platforms to utilise public resources more efficiently and enhance the coverage and appeal of GREEN$ ePIS.

(4) The EPD has collaborated with "MoneyBack" since December 2024, enabling members of the public to convert their GREEN$ points into "MoneyBack" points, which can be freely redeemed for the required rewards at over 500 supermarkets and retail stores across the territory. The response to this initiative has been enthusiastic. To further enhance the GREEN$ ePIS, the EPD plans to fully digitalise the GREEN$ gift redemption by April 2026, connecting with more reward platforms in the market to offer more convenient and diverse gift options, thereby encouraging greater public participation in recycling activities. We hope that, through introducing more reward platforms linked to supermarkets and retail stores for points redemption, we can not only boost public participation in carbon reduction and recycling, but also help stimulate local retail consumption.
 
(5) In terms of exploring regional co-operation with the Mainland, we will continue to maintain exchanges with Guangdong on carbon inclusivity implementation through the Hong Kong-Guangdong Joint Working Group on Environmental Protection and Combating Climate Change. We will also draw reference from the experiences in developing carbon inclusivity mechanisms in different provinces and municipalities, and explore potential areas and opportunities for collaboration to further encourage citizens to adopt a green and low-carbon lifestyle.

Ends/Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Issued at HKT 11:05

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