By Joey Hung
Tuesday, November 03, 2015
A suggestion to run a Siu Ho Wan kitchen waste plant next year has received a positive response from industry, though there is no plan to subsidize it, the environment secretary said.
"If the places where the waste food is collected are close to Siu Ho Wan, for example, Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi, it will reduce operation costs," Wong Kam-sing said, adding that while the 100 percent collection of waste food is unlikely, 30 or 40 percent would be great.
According to the latest figures, the overall amount of food waste in Hong Kong has dropped by 0.3 percent.
"This is an initial success in reducing food waste," Wong said.
However, commercial food waste has increased by 3 percent and the overall situation in Hong Kong is still serious, Wong said.
He said imposing a fee according to the amount of garbage disposed of is an important step in the recycling plan, which he hopes the government will soon submit to the Legislative Council.
To reduce waste, the government launched the Food Wise Hong Kong Campaign in 2013.
The Food Wise Eateries Scheme, launched yesterday with around 400 outlets joining in, including Tai Hing Catering Group and Maxim's Group, is one of the campaign's projects.
Participating eateries are expected to encourage customers to finish all ordered food or take away leftovers. They also need to provide food of differing portion sizes to reduce food waste.
Wong hopes that through the campaign, food waste in Hong Kong may be reduced by 5 to 10 percent during 2017 and 2018.
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