Helping glass container recycling in Hong Kong with widespread collection points

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The network for collecting glass for recycling has been progressively expanded. Photo: May Tse

Published: 12:15am, 19 Feb 2017Updated: 12:42pm, 15 Oct 2020

I refer to the letters by Anthony Green (“Glass recycling bin at complex never emptied”, February 5), and Cosmo Lo (“Glass recycling faces flaws in the system”, February 10) on glass recycling, and would like to provide information on the provision of collection services for glass containers.

The government has been actively promoting glass container recycling through a number of voluntary programmes, under which regular collection services are provided to the participating housing estates or buildings.

Over the years, we have been progressively expanding the collection network for glass containers, by setting up collection points at residential housing estates and other buildings.

As at last December, there were altogether 1,380 residential collection points, covering more than 70 per cent of the population.

As regards the operational arrangements, during each collection, an appointed collector is required to take away a recycling bin at a collection point, irrespective of whether it is full or not, and put up an empty bin.

Glass containers collected will then be delivered to competent glass recyclers for proper recycling. This bin-for-bin arrangement helps promote operational efficiency, work safety and noise minimisation.