https://www.scmp.com/rss/509880/feed Latest news and analysis about the recycling and reduction of waste materials, particularly of plastics, water, paper, metals and e-waste. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Emily Hung,Theodora Yu Emily Hung,Theodora Yu After decades at the front lines campaigning for environmental protection, The Green Earth founder Edwin Lau Che-feng is slowing down to focus on his health and hobbies. The 68-year-old has been one of the most vocal environmentalists championing a waste-charging scheme for more than two decades. Lau still remembers May 27, 2024, when the government abruptly paused the waste-charging bill, as if it were yesterday. The suspension was the biggest blow in his 36-year career. “It feels impossible.... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3347420/veteran-activist-warns-shrinking-space-green-advocacy-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3347420/veteran-activist-warns-shrinking-space-green-advocacy-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 09:00:20 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar Indonesia’s appointment of two Chinese companies to run waste-to-energy (WtE) projects in two cities – part of President Prabowo Subianto’s push to reduce mounting rubbish in landfills while generating power – has sparked a debate over costs, efficiency and whether the initiative will deliver on its waste-reduction goals. Danantara, the Indonesian state wealth fund, on Friday announced that it had chosen Wangneng Environment as the operator of a WtE plant in the city of Bekasi, while Zhejiang... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3346252/why-indonesias-waste-energy-goal-may-not-be-quick-fix-landfill-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3346252/why-indonesias-waste-energy-goal-may-not-be-quick-fix-landfill-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 04:00:09 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words Two years ago, amid plans for a citywide waste-charging scheme, the Hong Kong government rolled out smart food waste recycling bins on private housing estates with two years of free maintenance and collection services. This practical step reduced the city’s food waste, which still... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3344549/extend-support-smart-food-waste-bins-across-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3344549/extend-support-smart-food-waste-bins-across-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 03:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Garbage-choked streets, overloaded landfills and the fear of trash avalanches haunt Indonesia’s capital region, as the world’s most populous metropolis grapples with a waste crisis. Jakarta and its satellite cities, known collectively as Jabodetabek, are home to 42 million people and produce up to an estimated 14,000 tonnes of waste daily. That has placed increasing strain on the eight or so landfill sites that serve the region, which are now all close to or entirely full, according to local... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343789/indonesias-capital-drowning-waste-smell-awful?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343789/indonesias-capital-drowning-waste-smell-awful?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 03:41:07 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar The waste woes of tourism hotspot Bali have come under intense scrutiny after Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto shamed island authorities for what he said were improper steps to tackle the problem. But even as Balinese officials scramble to clean up their beaches, experts point to structural problems endemic to the issue, such as overtourism, lack of enforcement and insufficient education among locals. Prabowo publicly dressed down Bali’s governor, Wayan Koster, and his regents earlier this... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3342523/balis-waste-woes-under-scrutiny-prabowo-slams-indonesian-officials-slow-response?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3342523/balis-waste-woes-under-scrutiny-prabowo-slams-indonesian-officials-slow-response?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 10:01:34 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Malaysia has announced an immediate and full ban on the importation of electronic waste, as the government vowed the country would not be a “dumping ground” for the world’s waste. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said in a statement late on Wednesday that all electronic waste, commonly known as e-waste, would be reclassified under the “absolute prohibition” category effective immediately. This removes the discretionary power previously given to the Department of Environment to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342472/malaysia-bans-e-waste-imports-not-worlds-dumping-ground?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342472/malaysia-bans-e-waste-imports-not-worlds-dumping-ground?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 05:48:54 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Authorities in Batam have begun sending hazardous electronic waste back to the United States, a tentative breakthrough in a case that has clogged one of Indonesia’s busiest ports with hundreds of suspect containers and tested the country’s ability to police such illegal imports. Four containers of electronic waste classified as hazardous and toxic materials were shipped out last week from Batu Ampar Port under the supervision of Batam Customs, according to Indonesian media reports. The move... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3341289/indonesia-begins-re-exports-toxic-us-e-waste-crackdown-illegal-imports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3341289/indonesia-begins-re-exports-toxic-us-e-waste-crackdown-illegal-imports?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 12:25:36 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung About 75 per cent of paper waste and 40 per cent of plastic items sent to landfills are unclassified, according to official statistics, with environmentalists warning that such unclear records will undermine Hong Kong’s green efforts. However, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said it was “unnecessary” to change its waste-tracking system, arguing that the government already “has an idea” of what fell under the “others” category and had taken steps to address it. The lack of detail... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3341181/hong-kongs-unclassified-landfill-waste-data-gaps-undermine-green-efforts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3341181/hong-kongs-unclassified-landfill-waste-data-gaps-undermine-green-efforts?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 02:00:21 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words Japan’s restarting of the world’s biggest nuclear power plant is a bold response to energy insecurity, economic stagnation and climate imperatives. In contrast to intermittent, weather-dependent renewable sources such as wind and solar, nuclear power offers reliable 24/7... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3339820/japan-should-put-more-eggs-renewable-basket?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3339820/japan-should-put-more-eggs-renewable-basket?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 03:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The French government on Tuesday postponed a ban on plastic throwaway cups by four years to 2030 because of difficulties finding alternatives. The ban was meant to start on January 1, but the ministry for ecological transition said that results from a recent review into the “technical feasibility of eliminating plastic from cups” justified pushing back the deadline. It said in an official decree that a new review would be carried out in 2028 of “progress made in replacing single-use plastic... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338197/france-pushes-back-plastic-cup-ban-four-years-amid-industry-pressure-and-green-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338197/france-pushes-back-plastic-cup-ban-four-years-amid-industry-pressure-and-green-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 16:00:13 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Hong Kong’s controversial waste-charging scheme has been repeatedly delayed and was finally shelved for the foreseeable future, in the face of public opposition and economic headwinds. Meanwhile, the city’s solid waste levels declined for the third consecutive year in 2024, with the 10,510 tonnes going to landfills daily, down by 3.4 per cent from 10,884 tonnes the previous year. This does nothing to clarify the future of the scheme, with Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan having... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3337993/hong-kong-still-needs-waste-charging-scheme?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3337993/hong-kong-still-needs-waste-charging-scheme?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 23:15:07 +0000 Vivian Au Vivian Au Hong Kong’s municipal solid waste levels at landfills fell to 3.85 million tonnes in 2024, marking three straight years of declines, but green groups have warned the trend could be short-lived following the shelving of a controversial waste-charging scheme last year. The latest figures from authorities on Monday also showed the average daily quantity of waste going to landfills was 10,510 tonnes, representing a 3.4 per cent decrease from 10,884 tonnes in 2023. The amount of plastic waste... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3337377/hong-kongs-solid-waste-levels-dip-third-year-green-groups-still-worried?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3337377/hong-kongs-solid-waste-levels-dip-third-year-green-groups-still-worried?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Dec 2025 13:17:16 +0000 Gloria Tso Gloria Tso What makes a truly powerful statement piece in fashion? For a growing number of designers today, the answer is avant-garde upcycling, a method as much about the subliminal messaging behind an item of clothing as the unusual materials being reused to produce it. Younger labels like Ellen Hodakova Larsson’s Hodakova and Dauphinette by Olivia Cheng have taken off thanks to bold, buzzy designs made with sustainability in mind – think statement pieces made out of everything from recycled and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3336455/listers-are-turning-heads-upcycled-looks-rose-blackpink-jenna-ortega?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3336455/listers-are-turning-heads-upcycled-looks-rose-blackpink-jenna-ortega?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 21:00:18 +0000 Sumnima Kandangwa Sumnima Kandangwa Noble Panacea, founded in 2019 by Nobel laureate Fraser Stoddart and CEO Céline Talabaza, is a pioneer in science-driven luxury skincare. Grounded in Stoddart’s award-winning chemistry research, the brand’s proprietary Organic Super Molecular Vessel (OSMV) technology enables the encapsulation of active ingredients at the molecular level, enhancing their potency and ensuring precise, targeted delivery. The company’s latest launch, the Absolute Peptide8 Night Serum, is a groundbreaking formula... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/beauty/trends/article/3335357/style-edit-noble-panacea-ceo-celine-talabaza-science-sustainability-and-women-stem?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/beauty/trends/article/3335357/style-edit-noble-panacea-ceo-celine-talabaza-science-sustainability-and-women-stem?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 02:00:22 +0000 Mandy Zuo Mandy Zuo With their domestic profits narrowing and production capacity expanding, China’s firms are continuing to widen their overseas footprints in search of new, more lucrative markets. In this series, we examine China Inc.’s next phase of “going global” and the complex, challenging international environment its companies have chosen to enter. China’s businesses have emerged as global players in a string of industries in recent years – from electric cars to solar panels. Now, the country is rapidly... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3335298/waste-wealth-why-china-building-incinerators-around-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3335298/waste-wealth-why-china-building-incinerators-around-world?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Dec 2025 05:55:56 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Millions of tonnes of discarded electronics from the United States are being shipped overseas, much of it to developing countries in Southeast Asia unprepared to safely handle hazardous waste, according to a new report released on Wednesday by an environmental watchdog. The Seattle-based Basel Action Network (BAN) said a two-year investigation found at least 10 US companies exporting used electronics to Asia and the Middle East, in what it says is a “hidden tsunami” of electronic waste. “This... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3329996/southeast-asia-drowning-invisible-tsunami-us-e-waste-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3329996/southeast-asia-drowning-invisible-tsunami-us-e-waste-report?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 01:29:52 +0000 Danielle Popov Danielle Popov Swire Coca-Cola, the bottling partner of the American drinks maker, has become the first company in Hong Kong to use locally sourced recycled plastic for its products, giving a boost to the city’s circular economy efforts. New Life Plastics, the city’s first food-grade ready plastic bottle recycling facility, has started supplying Swire Coca-Cola with locally sourced recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) needed to bottle its drinks. Until now, the drinks company sourced rPET from overseas.... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3329098/coca-cola-goes-green-hong-kong-locally-recycled-pet-bottles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3329098/coca-cola-goes-green-hong-kong-locally-recycled-pet-bottles?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Oct 2025 09:05:59 +0000 Willa Wu Willa Wu Hong Kong’s environment minister has defended the spending of HK$90 million (US$11.6 million) on promoting a now-suspended pay-as-you-throw scheme, arguing that public money was not wasted as the campaign had helped to boost awareness of waste recycling. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said on Saturday the government had spent about HK$90 million on the waste-charging scheme last year, covering the costs of promotion, administration and production of designated labels and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3327867/hk90-million-spent-shelved-pay-you-throw-scheme-not-wasted-hong-kong-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3327867/hk90-million-spent-shelved-pay-you-throw-scheme-not-wasted-hong-kong-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Oct 2025 05:00:52 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial It is good that Hong Kong authorities said they have not given up on a repeatedly delayed waste-charging scheme. The environment chief said the controversial plan was merely “on standby”, with the city aiming to boost its recycling rate by 2 percentage points within the next two years and achieve a “zero landfill” target by 2035. While the delay of the “pay-as-you-throw” scheme is understandable amid the political realities now facing the government, officials must not lose sight of the urgency... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3327749/waste-charging-scheme-can-still-be-effective-tool-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3327749/waste-charging-scheme-can-still-be-effective-tool-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Oct 2025 22:45:08 +0000 Rico Wong Rico Wong As a super typhoon headed towards the city last week, the government announced that the long-delayed waste-charging scheme would remain indefinitely suspended. The broader socioeconomic challenges confronting Hong Kong are real. However, the city risks forfeiting a critical opportunity to meet the target set in the Waste Blueprint for Hong Kong 2035, a gradual reduction in per capita waste disposal by 40 per cent to 45 per cent. This delay may also impede Hong Kong’s ability to meet its 2050... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3327483/hongkongers-must-see-waste-charging-scheme-makes-financial-sense?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3327483/hongkongers-must-see-waste-charging-scheme-makes-financial-sense?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Oct 2025 01:30:08 +0000 Gloria Tso Gloria Tso For over 15 years, Hong Kong-based NGO Redress has been paving the way for a more circular fashion economy in the region, raising awareness of environmental issues and spearheading a number of initiatives aimed at combating clothing and textile waste. Now it’s brought that advocacy all the way to the United Nations in New York, where founder and CEO Christina Dean moderated a panel on September 20, joined by young designers from around the world who are leading the charge when it comes to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3327590/redress-takes-circular-fashion-advocacy-un-spotlighting-asias-role?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3327590/redress-takes-circular-fashion-advocacy-un-spotlighting-asias-role?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Oct 2025 04:35:23 +0000 Matthew Cheng Matthew Cheng A lack of social consensus has led the government to shelve a pay-as-you-throw scheme indefinitely, Hong Kong’s leader has said, while stressing that his administration “will not stop” its commitment to reducing waste. Commenting for the first time on the indefinite suspension of the waste-charging scheme, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday that the implementation of any policies required thorough consideration, taking into account the level of social acceptance and consensus. “The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3327330/hong-kongs-john-lee-cites-lack-social-consensus-shelving-waste-charging-scheme?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3327330/hong-kongs-john-lee-cites-lack-social-consensus-shelving-waste-charging-scheme?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Sep 2025 04:27:37 +0000 Oscar Liu,Emily Hung Oscar Liu,Emily Hung Hong Kong aims to increase the recycling rate by 2 percentage points within the next two years without the help of the controversial waste-charging scheme, which has not been abandoned but merely put “on standby,” the environment minister has said. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan told lawmakers on Monday that the government could reintroduce the scheme “when necessary”, but a decline in waste volumes and an uptick in the recycling rate in recent years indicated that current... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3327191/hong-kong-wont-give-waste-charging-scheme-zero-landfill-goal-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3327191/hong-kong-wont-give-waste-charging-scheme-zero-landfill-goal-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Sep 2025 04:11:14 +0000 Fiona Sun Fiona Sun Hong Kong’s environment minister has said strong public opposition led to the continued suspension of the government’s long-delayed waste-charging scheme, but has stressed that the volume of rubbish being disposed of has fallen over the years. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan on Saturday defended the government’s decision to shelve the waste-charging scheme indefinitely. He said multiple surveys showed about 70 to 80 per cent of respondents thought the scheme should not be... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3327112/strong-public-backlash-behind-ongoing-hold-hong-kong-waste-charging-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3327112/strong-public-backlash-behind-ongoing-hold-hong-kong-waste-charging-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Sep 2025 14:02:57 +0000 Edith Lin Edith Lin Hong Kong has confirmed that a long-delayed waste-charging scheme will remain on the shelf indefinitely, with the government saying the city continues to face economic challenges amid a global tariff war and rising geopolitical risks. The Environment and Ecology Bureau announced the decision on Tuesday, two months after it was supposed to reveal the scheme’s future by the end of July. The initiative had already been delayed twice and was originally shelved last May. Environmental groups said... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3326569/unpopular-waste-charging-scheme-will-remain-shelf-hong-kong-confirms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3326569/unpopular-waste-charging-scheme-will-remain-shelf-hong-kong-confirms?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 12:01:02 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng EcoCeres, a Hong Kong-based renewable biofuel producer, expressed strong interest in investing in a regional industry supply chain for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), contingent on the right conditions, according to the company’s CEO. In his policy address on Wednesday, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu outlined ambitious plans to develop an SAF supply chain in the Greater Bay Area. However, EcoCeres CEO Matti Lievonen said demand clarity, critical infrastructure, feedstock security... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3326154/ecoceres-keen-build-green-aviation-fuel-hub-hong-kong-depending-conditions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3326154/ecoceres-keen-build-green-aviation-fuel-hub-hong-kong-depending-conditions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 01:30:08 +0000 Kylie Knott Kylie Knott The Mid-Autumn Festival is a time when family and friends gather to celebrate the full moon, with food playing a major role in the celebrations. Mooncakes – rich pastries filled with sweet or savoury fillings, often with a salted duck egg yolk in the middle to represent the full moon – are the stars of the festival, which this year starts on October 6. Just like in previous years, Hong Kong’s bakeries and hotels have mooncake fever, with many releasing their own versions, while supermarket... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3325721/how-donate-mooncakes-and-recycle-boxes-hong-kong-during-mid-autumn-festival-2025?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3325721/how-donate-mooncakes-and-recycle-boxes-hong-kong-during-mid-autumn-festival-2025?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2025 09:15:07 +0000 dpa dpa South Australia has become the first place in the world to ban fish-shaped plastic soy sauce packets. The ban took effect on Monday in the Australian state as part of efforts to cut pollution, reduce carbon emissions and protect marine life, the South Australian government said in a statement. “Each fish-shaped container is used for just seconds yet remains in the environment for years, causing harm and contributing to microplastic pollution,” the statement said. The ban targets pre-filled 30ml... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3323864/australian-state-bans-plastic-fish-soy-sauce-containers-world-first?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3323864/australian-state-bans-plastic-fish-soy-sauce-containers-world-first?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 04:36:07 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification Despite the continuous efforts of the government to reduce waste, the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) hit a high of 11,358 tonnes per day or 1.53kg per person per day in 2021. The good news is... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3323050/does-recycling-hong-kong-have-be-financial-burden?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3323050/does-recycling-hong-kong-have-be-financial-burden?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Aug 2025 03:30:07 +0000 Emily Hung,Lynn Zhang Emily Hung,Lynn Zhang In Hong Kong’s Kwai Tsing neighbourhood, a community recycling station has been quietly making an impact since opening in 2019. Green@Kwai Tsing, operated by the New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, serves as a collection point for various items that are sent to recyclers. Twelve mobile collection spots are also set up in the neighbourhood every week. Back in 2019, the station collected 20 tonnes of recyclables each month, but that has since surged to about 60 tonnes. “We have... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3322938/hong-kong-really-cutting-trash-year-after-axing-waste-charging-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3322938/hong-kong-really-cutting-trash-year-after-axing-waste-charging-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Aug 2025 01:00:29 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification With fewer than 100 days to go until the National Games, the co-hosts are preparing to showcase not only athletic excellence but also their commitment to sustainability. Guangdong province has set a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3322221/hong-kong-can-align-guangdongs-zero-waste-goal-national-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3322221/hong-kong-can-align-guangdongs-zero-waste-goal-national-games?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 03:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Countries remained at loggerheads on Monday over how to tackle plastic pollution, with only four days left to craft a landmark global treaty on reining in the ever-growing scourge. While plastic has transformed modern life, plastic pollution poses an increasing threat to the environment and the human body - and every day the garbage accumulates on land and in the oceans. The 184 countries meeting at the United Nations to sculpt a first international accord setting out the way forward return to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3321421/deadline-looms-nations-remain-divided-global-plastic-pollution-treaty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3321421/deadline-looms-nations-remain-divided-global-plastic-pollution-treaty?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Aug 2025 05:45:20 +0000 Yujie Xue Yujie Xue Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) and BYD have signed initial agreements with Australian mining giant BHP to collaborate on battery technology and electrification of mining operations, as both mainland firms explore new growth avenues amid a weakening outlook for electric vehicles (EVs). Melbourne-based BHP said on Monday that it had signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with CATL, the world’s largest battery maker, and FinDreams Battery (FDB), a fully owned subsidiary of BYD, the... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-evs/article/3318116/catl-byd-partner-australias-bhp-electrify-mining-industry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-evs/article/3318116/catl-byd-partner-australias-bhp-electrify-mining-industry?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jul 2025 06:39:28 +0000 dpa dpa Wida Widiarti has spent her entire life near the Citarum River on Indonesia’s main island of Java. That means she has witnessed first-hand how the river mutated from an important lifeline into a disgusting symbol of extreme environmental pollution. Time and again, the Citarum has been described in reports as the “world’s most polluted river”. “People clean up, but the rubbish comes back anyway,” said Widiarti, who lives near Bandung. Surrounded by mountains, rice paddies and volcanoes, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317964/indonesias-fight-clean-citarum-worlds-most-polluted-river?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317964/indonesias-fight-clean-citarum-worlds-most-polluted-river?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Jul 2025 04:20:37 +0000 Gloria Tso Gloria Tso “Tap water, purified water, distilled water – these are the most prevalent and common choices in Hong Kong,” says Joanne Zhou. Founder and CEO of start-up In Lieu, Zhou wants to supplement our shop-bought options with what she says is the city’s first premium sustainable water brand. Having launched In Lieu in February, Zhou cites studies about the rising rates of chronic illnesses in young people as the main reason why we should start paying more attention to this humble yet vital elixir of... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/icons-influencers/article/3316328/unpolluted-untouched-why-lieu-sourcing-premium-water-henan-explains-start-founder-and-ceo-joanne?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/icons-influencers/article/3316328/unpolluted-untouched-why-lieu-sourcing-premium-water-henan-explains-start-founder-and-ceo-joanne?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Jul 2025 04:45:14 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification Ahead of World Environment Day today, it was very disappointing to see the general lack of concern regarding waste at the Stanley dragon boat races last Saturday. Plastic Free Seas did the best we... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3312991/dragon-boat-races-and-must-have-proper-waste-management-plans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3312991/dragon-boat-races-and-must-have-proper-waste-management-plans?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Jun 2025 03:30:07 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng A Hong Kong lithium battery recycling start-up is eyeing opportunities at home and in Southeast Asia amid overcapacity and intense competition for recyclable materials in mainland China. Hong Kong Science and Technology Park-based Achelous Pure Metals currently has a capacity to process 150 tonnes of used non-electric vehicle (EV) batteries a year. It has set up its operations in an industrial building in Tuen Mun in the New Territories, which is pending approval from the Environmental... https://www.scmp.com/business/climate-and-energy/article/3313015/hong-kong-start-ups-unique-strategy-tackle-lithium-battery-recycling-home-overseas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/climate-and-energy/article/3313015/hong-kong-start-ups-unique-strategy-tackle-lithium-battery-recycling-home-overseas?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Jun 2025 00:30:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Researchers in Japan have developed a plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours, offering up a potential solution for a modern-day scourge polluting oceans and harming wildlife. While scientists have long experimented with biodegradable plastics, researchers from the Riken Centre for Emergent Matter Science and the University of Tokyo say their new material breaks down much more quickly and leaves no residual trace. At a lab in Wako city near Tokyo, the team demonstrated a small piece of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3312983/japan-scientists-develop-plastic-dissolves-seawater-ocean-pollution-solution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3312983/japan-scientists-develop-plastic-dissolves-seawater-ocean-pollution-solution?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Jun 2025 05:09:06 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar A sweeping new ban on small plastic water bottles in Bali has triggered backlash from Indonesia’s beverage and plastics industries, even as environmental advocates hail it as a bold step towards tackling the island’s growing waste crisis and microplastic contamination. Governor I Wayan Koster, who launched the Bali Clean Waste Movement last month, has framed the initiative as part of a broader campaign to make the island of 4.3 million people waste-free by 2027. The policy builds on a 2018... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3311415/bali-bans-small-plastic-bottles-tackle-waste-crisis-and-microplastics-urgent-matter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3311415/bali-bans-small-plastic-bottles-tackle-waste-crisis-and-microplastics-urgent-matter?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 May 2025 03:00:08 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification I refer to recent letters published on April 11 and 28, arguing in favour of stricter regulation of video games in Hong Kong. Your correspondents were right to highlight concerns associated with... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3310247/hong-kong-can-regulate-video-game-loot-boxes-enforcing-its-laws?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3310247/hong-kong-can-regulate-video-game-loot-boxes-enforcing-its-laws?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 May 2025 03:30:08 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification To tackle the plastic waste crisis, degradable plastic and non-plastic products have been widely promoted as an eco-friendly alternative to single-use plastic. Some businesses are even willing to... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3309728/single-use-alternatives-plastic-distract-real-solutions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3309728/single-use-alternatives-plastic-distract-real-solutions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 May 2025 03:30:08 +0000 Jason Wordie Jason Wordie Reduce, reuse, recycle; across the globe this mantra has become familiar to anyone with even a glimmer of environmental awareness. But how closely followed are these instructions, especially in Hong Kong, where effective recycling processes, rather than feel-good performative gestures, are easier said than done? No doubt to the surprise of many today, Hong Kong was a highly efficient recycling society a century ago. Everything had a secondary use, and much like today entire families derived... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3307913/hong-kongs-surprising-history-recycling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3307913/hong-kongs-surprising-history-recycling?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Apr 2025 12:00:08 +0000 It’s been a year since Hong Kong shelved its plan to charge households for the waste they produce. Are we any closer to introducing waste charging? Earlier this month, the Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said the government has been assessing the situation and would report its findings soon to the Legislative Council’s Panel on Environmental Affairs. He noted that many conditions had to be in place before the scheme could be rolled out. We believe the time is right. Over the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3307894/after-years-delay-hong-kong-ready-roll-out-waste-charging?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3307894/after-years-delay-hong-kong-ready-roll-out-waste-charging?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Apr 2025 03:30:08 +0000 Martin Williams Martin Williams When a business boasts about its “sustainability” efforts, do you find yourself writing it off as little more than marketing jargon? And if you hear about used plastic bottles being “upcycled”, do you envision something that resembles a bunch of badly cut up rubbish? If you are this jaded, meet Jacqueline Chak and Genevieve Chew, co-founders of design company Editecture. Over the past 11 years, the duo have devised and overseen a host of projects that, put simply, transform trash into furniture.... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/design-interiors/article/3307850/meet-hong-kong-firm-making-sustainability-real-brands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/design-interiors/article/3307850/meet-hong-kong-firm-making-sustainability-real-brands?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Apr 2025 06:00:17 +0000 Caroline Olah Caroline Olah Sustainability. I confess, as a furniture brand owner committed to its principles, I dislike the term. It’s a tangled, buzzword-laden concept that is, frankly, confusing. Absolute sustainability is impossible for any business because even eco-friendly products require transport. At the end of 2014, when I founded Reddie (a play on “ready-made” and Eddie, my son’s name) in Hong Kong, I aimed to build a mid-to-large-scale furniture brand with showrooms in Sydney, London and New York, employing 20... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/design-interiors/article/3307732/i-started-sustainable-furniture-brand-hong-kong-heres-what-ive-learned?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/design-interiors/article/3307732/i-started-sustainable-furniture-brand-hong-kong-heres-what-ive-learned?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Apr 2025 10:00:14 +0000 Bottles and bags, food wrappers and straws. Piping, packaging, toys and trays. Plastic is everywhere – and yet some people may be surprised at how much they actually wear. A typical wardrobe is loaded with plastic, woven into polyester activewear, acrylic sweaters, nylon swimsuits and stretchy socks – and it’s shedding into the environment nonstop. When garments are worn, washed and put through the dryer, they shed plastic fibre fragments. A single load of laundry can release millions that are... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3307879/your-clothes-are-shedding-bits-plastic-heres-what-people-are-doing-about-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3307879/your-clothes-are-shedding-bits-plastic-heres-what-people-are-doing-about-it?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Apr 2025 12:00:14 +0000 “Try cracking it,” says Dilara Kan, partner at Studio Yellowdot, as she hands me a small piece of dried eggshell. Holding the pearl-coloured fragment between my thumb and index finger I can feel the dual nature of one of the world’s most ubiquitous waste materials. Rigid and porous at the same time, the shard bends easily, but when enough pressure is applied, it cracks, producing a crisp sound similar to clinking glass. “Isn’t it fun to play around with it?” For the past five years, Kan, who... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/design-interiors/article/3307693/designers-recycling-eggshells-create-lamps-and-decorative-household-objects?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/design-interiors/article/3307693/designers-recycling-eggshells-create-lamps-and-decorative-household-objects?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Apr 2025 23:30:08 +0000 Vivian Au Vivian Au About 70 shops in Hong Kong have allegedly sold banned oxo-degradable plastic products, including waste bags for pets, according to an environmental charity. The Green Earth said its investigation suggested that plastic bags, bin liners and waste bags for pets labelled as “oxo-degradable” were still being sold by large retail shops and online stores, prompting lawmakers to accuse the government of not adequately educating the public on the ban. Hong Kong implemented legislation to reduce the use... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3307314/70-hong-kong-retailers-allegedly-sold-oxo-degradable-plastics-despite-ban-ngo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3307314/70-hong-kong-retailers-allegedly-sold-oxo-degradable-plastics-despite-ban-ngo?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Apr 2025 23:30:14 +0000 Sweden’s recycling centres are overflowing with clothes after an EU-wide ban this year on throwing away textiles, leaving overwhelmed municipalities eager to have fast fashion giants take responsibility. “It’s a huge amount coming in every day. It’s been crazy, it’s a huge increase,” said Brian Kelly, secretary general of the Artikel2 charity shop in the capital city of Stockholm, where rows of bins were overfilled with discarded apparel. Since the beginning of this year, EU countries must have... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3306557/swedens-textile-recycling-centres-are-overflowing-fast-fashion-can-be-fixed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3306557/swedens-textile-recycling-centres-are-overflowing-fast-fashion-can-be-fixed?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Apr 2025 07:15:07 +0000 Anti-litter and public hygiene campaigns have had a mixed history in Hong Kong. In recent times that is not through want of drive from the top. For example, in the wake of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) epidemic in 2003, then chief executive Tung Chee-hwa appointed his chief secretary and eventual successor Donald Tsang Yam-kuen to head Team Clean, a task force charged with developing a sustainable approach to better environmental hygiene. The basic fine for littering and spitting... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3306363/hong-kong-must-keep-fight-against-litterbugs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3306363/hong-kong-must-keep-fight-against-litterbugs?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Apr 2025 22:30:11 +0000