Mining profit from Hong Kong's mountains of plastic
Doug Woodring calls for a study of its current use, to find ways to turn waste into resources
As economies and populations grow, so too does consumption. In most countries, the waste generated has outpaced the waste management and recycling infrastructure. This is exactly what is happening today in Hong Kong, where the government has announced a HK$31 billion plan to solve the pending landfill capacity crisis.
To solve this problem, we need to play as a team. We need education; the government has to set policies that are long term and transparent; and businesses can engage employees while producing goods that utilise reverse supply chains - that is, by using used materials as resources.
At a recent Business Environment Council meeting on waste issues held in Hong Kong, the one concern that stood out for Singapore was that plastic is the hardest to recover, with food waste a close second. When both get contaminated with each other, no one wants to do the expensive sorting. One possible easy solution would be to promote "wet and dry" waste. Nearly 19 per cent of Hong Kong's waste is plastic, according to the latest figures, or over 1,600 tonnes per day. Some interesting business opportunities exist in reusing this material.
In the US, billions of dollars every year are spent on packaging that turns into non-recycled waste. Roughly 85 per cent of the plastic used in products and packaging is not recycled, and this is a global opportunity - an opportunity for cleaning our countrysides and waterways, while creating jobs and innovation.