Hong Kong may send part of its waste mountain to the Greater Bay Area under a proposal now being discussed, a senior official has said after the government delayed a waste charging scheme for a third time.
Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said that in order to achieve its goal of shutting down all landfill sites by 2035, Hong Kong had been speeding up development of waste incinerators.
However, the official told Metro Radio on Wednesday the city might not be capable of dealing with all its waste after the landfills are shut, and the government was considering transporting some to the Greater Bay Area for further processing and recycling.
“There is more land in mainland China and the manpower cost is lower. And recycled products can be showcased in Hong Kong and even exported to foreign countries. We could cooperate [with the Greater Bay Area] to deal with waste and recycling resources and develop a green economy,” Tse said in Cantonese.
Transporting waste to mainland China would be subject to many regulations and policies, the official said, adding that Hong Kong had started discussions with authorities there.
The Environment and Ecology Bureau said on Facebook the proposal was not to send waste for incineration but to have refuse recycled and reused in the Greater Bay Area.
On Monday the city announced yet another delay to its controversial waste charging plan, which was intended to reduce waste and promote recycling by requiring residents and business operators to dispose of garbage in designated bags that they will have to buy.
“This delay was a pragmatic, correct decision, and it also demonstrated the principle of ‘governance for the people’,” Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk told the Legislative Council at the time. “We have to face the unwelcome reality that our society is not prepared.”
The scheme, approved by the legislature in August 2021, was due to launch by the end of 2023. Authorities announced last July it would be postponed until April 1.
In January officials pushed the start date back to August 1 before it was delayed again on Monday.
More incinerators
Hong Kong in 2021 set out measures to combat its growing mountain of waste.
According to the Waste Blueprint for Hong Kong 2035, it aims to shut down all landfill sites by 2035 as well as gradually reducing the volume of trash and increasing recycling through the waste tax, Tse said in January.
After the waste tax was delayed again, Tse said on Wednesday that authorities were trying to build more incinerators.
The city’s first incinerator is under construction in Shek Kwu Chau and a second one has been proposed in Tuen Mun.
Tse said authorities are considering building a third incinerator in the Northern Metropolis, a huge housing and business hub to be developed along the border with the mainland.
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