Can you recycle Mark Six tickets and Post-it notes? Hong Kong authorities seek to clear confusion on paper and plastics
Environmental Protection Department launches new education campaign to clarify details and raise awareness
Post-it notes, old credit card receipts, Mark Six tickets, promotional fliers and fancy packaging from retail items may be among trash found in a recycling bin, but none can be recycled, according to Hong Kong’s Environmental Protection Department.
The advice is part of a new campaign launched by the department to educate Hongkongers on the different types of waste paper and plastics.
The move comes amid the tightening of mainland China’s waste import regulations starting this year. As of January, Hong Kong can no longer export daily consumer plastic waste and unsorted scrap paper across the border for recycling.
New recycling policy targeting plastic and paper types not well-received by Hongkongers
“The problem right now is in the separation at the source,” deputy director for environmental protection Vicki Kwok Wong Wing-ki said. “If we can sort more efficiently, it will help us reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills.”
The department’s latest policy, announced in December last year, only stated that three types of paper – paperboard, newspaper and office paper – could be recycled, and only two types of plastic waste – containers for beverages and personal care products – should be placed into recycling bins after rinsing.
There has been confusion among the public on what should be done with all other kinds of daily plastic items to be disposed of, from used bags to toothbrushes.
The department said such products, including cutlery, food containers, storage boxes and toy packaging could be recycled, but they should be sent to the government’s Green Community Stations instead of being chucked into bins.
