Editorial | Shanghai shows city way in war on waste
- As the mainland metropolis introduces compulsory household garbage sorting, Hong Kong needs to follow suit and introduce a charging system
It is variously said that a society can be judged by how it treats its weakest members, its criminals, its animals and so on. In the age of environmental awareness, it can also be said a society can be judged by how it disposes of its waste. It is one civic benchmark on which Hong Kong could soon lag China.
China generated 210 million tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) in 2017, 28 million tonnes less than the US, according to a World Bank database. Under Shanghai’s new MSW regime, householders are now required to sort their waste into four categories – wet rubbish, including household food; dry rubbish, also known as residual waste; recyclable waste and hazardous waste. Catch-all household waste bins have been removed and residents encouraged to visit designated collection stations to dispose of waste.
Without proper classification, a lot of rubbish that can be recycled is burned. Shanghai’s refuse collection plants deal with more than 19,000 tonnes of residual waste and more than 5,000 tonnes of kitchen waste every day, while only 3,300 tonnes of recyclables are collected – an imbalance that should be reduced by the new regime. After all, the importance of sorting garbage according to good habits, scientific management and a long-term disposal mechanism was stressed by President Xi Jinping on World Environment Day.
Hong Kong has yet to develop a mandatory sorting system and recycling remains an infant industry. The government plans to implement waste charging by the end of next year. We trust the Shanghai initiative spurs Hong Kong officials into redoubling their efforts. That said, ultimately the most effective curb on the growing volume of garbage, sorted or unsorted, is to educate people to cut waste and make less unnecessary use of plastic.