No need to export e-waste when Hong Kong recycling plant hits full capacity, officials say
But only 6,000 tonnes of electronic waste will be processed this year, though the facility is set up to reach 30,000 tonnes annually or double that if it extends operating hours
Hong Kong would no longer need to dump its electronic waste in Southeast Asia and Africa when the city’s new recycling facility runs at full capacity, local environmental authorities said.
It is designed to process 30,000 tonnes of e-waste per year, with the number hitting 57,000 tonnes if the facility extends its operating hours, Dr Alain Lam Kwok-lun of the Environmental Protection Department said.
The three hectare (7.4 acres) Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment facility in Eco Park, Tuen Mun, measures six football pitches in area and has operated two recycling lines since last October.
On Monday, it added two more lines and formally launched the facility, with the city’s chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and other senior environment officials in attendance.
Environment chief Wong Kam-sing said the facility would only handle 6,000 tonnes of waste this year, though the plant’s operator, Alba Integrated Waste Solutions (Hong Kong) said it aimed to hit 9,000 tonnes.
“And we plan to reach 30,000 tonnes [annually] in the next three years, as in the contract, or we will be punished,” Alba director and general manager Nigel Mattravers said.