Soup bones and mango seeds: Hong Kong’s food waste recycling drive trips over lack of bins, confusion about what goes where
- Many are still not clear about what is fit to recycle, restaurant owners say it is too much of a bother
- Authorities on track to install more than 700 food recycling bins in public rental housing estates by August
Hong Kong residents and restaurant owners have been slow to recycle food waste because of the absence of incentives and impractical guidelines, lawmakers and industry representatives have said.
Despite years of efforts by environmental authorities, many are still not clear about what is fit to recycle, find separating food waste too much of a bother, or do not know where to bin it.
The city aims to reduce the amount of food waste that ends up in landfills. For years, the authorities have been encouraging people to separate such waste and dispose of it appropriately.
Recyclable food waste includes everything from rice and pasta to meat, poultry, fruit and vegetables, pastries, dim sum items, coffee grounds and tea leaves.
But large animal bones, crab and seafood shells, corn cobs, young coconuts, durian husks, mango seeds, watery soup, porridge and food packaging are among the items not fit for recycling.
Food waste collection bins have appeared in some housing estates, but there are districts with no such facilities.