Following is a question by the Hon Andrew Lam and a written reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (March 25):
 
Question:
 
     In 2023, the Government launched the Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Smart Recycling Bins in Private Housing Estates (the Scheme), under which eligible large private housing estates are provided with food waste smart bins (FWSBs) free of charge, including installation and related maintenance services, for a period of two years. It is reported that the trial period for the first batch of participating estates has ended in succession in recent months, with some deciding to return FWSBs due to owners' unwillingness to share maintenance costs. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the maintenance data for FWSBs currently in use (including the average annual maintenance frequency, number of breakdowns, major components subject to wear and tear and their replacement cycles);
 
(2) of the number of private housing estates covered by the Scheme to date and the number of households involved;
 
(3) of the current number of private housing estates which have withdrawn from the Scheme and returned FWSBs; whether the Government has assessed the impact of the withdrawal of private residential estates from the Scheme on the overall recycling target set by the Government; if so, of the details; and
 
(4) whether the Government has formulated enhancement measures in response to the withdrawal of private housing estates from the Scheme, so as to ensure its sustainability and expansion; if so, of the details?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has been actively promoting food waste recycling. Across Hong Kong, it has set up about 1 690 residential food waste smart recycling bins (FWSRBs) or food waste collection facilities, and about 260 public food waste recycling points, covering public housing estates, private residential buildings, government quarters, GREEN@COMMUNITY, public markets and public refuse collection points, etc, and launched the Trial Scheme on Food Waste Recycling Truck at the end of 2025 to build a comprehensive recycling network. With these multipronged initiatives, the amount of food waste recycled in Hong Kong in 2025 reached about 350 tonnes per day on average, marking an increase of about 26 per cent compared to 280 tonnes per day in 2024. This shows that the relevant measures are gradually yielding results.
 
     For private residential buildings, the EPD, in collaboration with the Environmental Campaign Committee (ECC), launched the Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Smart Recycling Bins in Private Housing Estates in 2023. Under the Scheme, a two-year funding is provided for private housing estates with 1 000 or more households, covering the installation, maintenance and repair services of FWSRBs, to help residents cultivate a habit of food waste recycling. Following the consolidation of relevant subsidy schemes in October 2025, the Government standardised the eligibility threshold for subsidy to 200 or more households to include small and medium-sized private housing estates, thereby expanding the scope of the trial and enhancing overall effectiveness.
 
     Regarding the follow-on arrangements after the funding period, we have put in place a comprehensive plan to ensure the continuity of food waste recycling. The ECC is arranging for the early batches of rented FWSRBs to be purchased and then provided free of charge to the relevant housing estates for continued use. According to the information obtained by the EPD from the suppliers, housing estates would only need to bear a monthly operation and maintenance fee of about $500 to $1,000 per bin, based on serving around 500 households, this translates to an average of only about $1 to $2 per month for each household. The GREEN$ rewards earned by households through daily recycling are sufficient to offset these costs. Even if housing estates ultimately choose not to continue using the FWSRBs, the EPD will provide them with pedal-operated food waste recycling bins and food waste collection services free of charge to ensure that the residents can continue participating in recycling and sustain the environmental habits they have already developed.
 
     The reply to the question raised by the Hon Andrew Lam is as follows:
 
(1) and (2) As of February 2026, a total of 453 FWSRBs have been installed in 115 private housing estates under the Scheme, serving more than 270 000 households. The overall operation is stable and effective. In the past two years, there were about 180 cases of FWSRB malfunctions which resulted in service suspensions for over 24 hours under the Scheme. The malfunctions were mainly caused by minor glitches such as loose power connections, network instability, or worn-out lid push bars. Following inspections and repairs by contractors, the FWSRBs generally were able to resume normal operation within 48 hours.
 
     The EPD is exploring trial application of a simplified version of FWSRBs with optimised design of the lid opening to further reduce the likelihood of malfunctions. The EPD continuously monitors the operations of FWSRBs through a big data platform and oversees the repair and maintenance work by the contractors. Since these services (including part replacements) are directly provided by contractors, we do not have records on the worn-out parts and their replacement cycles.
 
(3) and (4) As mentioned above, the Scheme has a two-year funding period. The application was optimised in October 2025 to lower the eligibility threshold to estates with 200 households, and simplified FWSRBs will also be introduced.
 
     The EPD is discussing the follow-on arrangements for the FWSRBs with 14 participating private housing estates whose funding period is scheduled to end in the first half of 2026. At present, only two of them indicated that they will not continue using the FWSRBs after the funding period ends. The EPD is also discussing the follow-on food waste recycling arrangements with these two housing estates. If one ultimately decides not to continue using FWSRBs, the EPD will provide them with pedal-operated food waste recycling bins and food waste collection services free of charge, so that the residents can continue participating in food waste recycling.
 
     The use of FWSRBs facilitates source separation and recycling of food waste by the residents. It also helps alleviate odour and hygiene problems caused by household waste, contributing to the improvement of environmental hygiene of housing estates in the long term. The EPD will continue to devote resources to support private housing estates in their continued participation in food waste recycling, including providing free daily food waste collection services and organising promotional and educational activities on food waste recycling for participating housing estates. Therefore, we do not expect any impact on the overall recycling targets.

Ends/Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:25

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