📋 Tender Overview
The Environmental Protection Department EPD today December 22 published the report Monitoring of Solid Waste in Hong Kong Waste Statistics for 2024 It presents the 2024 statistics on disposal and recoveryrecycling of solid waste generated in Hong Kong including municipal solid waste MSW covering both domestic waste and commercial and industrial waste overall construction waste and special waste
The total quantity of MSW disposed of at landfills has dropped for three consecutive years to 385 million tonnes in 2024 and the average daily quantity was 10 510 tonnes representing a decrease of 34 per cent comparing with the average of 10 884 tonnes in 2023 Among these disposal of waste plastics has dropped by 111 per cent disposal of food waste has dropped by 60 per cent disposal of waste glass has decreased by 71 per cent The per capita MSW disposal rate per day was 140 kilograms down from 144 kilograms in 2023 by 33 per cent Among the three major categories of MSW in 2024 food waste accounted for 29 per cent followed by waste paper and waste plastics accounting for 23 per cent and 18 per cent respectively
With the implementation of various measures by the Government in promoting food waste recycling and plasticfree culture including the implementation of the regulation on disposable plastic products in 2024 both the shares of disposal of food waste and waste plastics had decreased compared to 2023 The drop in the disposal amount of waste plastics also reflected the increasing global awareness of being plasticfree in recent years and the effectiveness of the Governments active promotion of various related measures Since the Government enhanced the Plastic Shopping Bag Charging Scheme on December 31 2022 the amount of plastic shopping bags disposed in 2024 has dropped to 56 408 tonnes down from 63 367 tonnes in 2023 by 11 per cent Meanwhile the share of waste paper has increased this was mainly paper waste other than cardboard newsprint office paper or tetrapak that could not be easily recycled
The overall MSW recovery rate has risen for four consecutive years The latest figures show that it rose from 33 per cent in 2023 to 34 per cent in 2024 and the increase in the total recovery amount was about 50 000 tonnes The increase was mainly driven by the recycling of food waste around 26 000 tonnes and ferrous metal recyclables around 53 000 tonnes
An EPD spokesperson said that in order to achieve the vision of Waste ReductionResources CirculationZero Landfill by 2035 the current term Government is working at full steam to promote the culture of waste reduction and recovery and to encourage active participation in waste reduction by citizens through the community recycling network GREENCOMMUNITY and the food waste collection network The latest statistics show that the currentterm Government has successfully reversed the longterm upward trend in waste disposal quantities The recovery rate showed a continuous upward trend reflecting the achievements of the Governments persistent effort in promoting waste reduction and recovery
Regarding construction waste the overall quantity of construction waste generation in 2024 increased by about 4 945 tonnes per day 11 per cent as compared to 2023 to 50 505 tonnes per day on average The quantity of construction waste disposed of at landfills increased slightly by 6 per cent to about 4 694 tonnes per day The construction activities performed by the main contractors in the same period increased by 63 compared to 2023 The overall construction waste recovery rate was above 90 per cent the average quantity of construction waste reused was 45 810 tonnes per day
The Government will continue to encourage smallscale works to properly dispose of construction waste in a compliant and paid manner through publicity and education strengthened enforcement actions as well as a pilot scheme to assist with collection of construction waste The EPD also encourages private enterprises to upcycle construction waste into products like ecoblocks ceramic products and outdoor paving materials In terms of land there is an enterprise operating construction waste recycling facilities in the EcoPark and the EPD has also provided land for shortterm lease for the purpose of recycling construction waste Moreover the Recycling Fund has also subsidised different enterprises projects on upcycling of construction waste
Looking ahead seizing the opportunity of increasing public participation in waste reduction and recycling the Government will further promote a green waste reduction and recycling culture in society and will take forward waste reduction and recycling initiatives along four directions namely 1 Strengthen publicity and education to change public behaviour and cultivate a green living culture 2 Continue to enhance the recycling network 3 Strengthen collaboration with industries to explore and take forward practical environmental protection measures 4 Utilise market forces to develop environmental infrastructure and assist in the transition to a green economy
In the meantime the Government is building an advanced and efficient network of modern wastetoenergy facilities at full steam The first wastetoenergy facility for treating municipal solid waste Integrated Waste Management Facilities Phase 1 IPARK1 commenced operation at the end of this year and the Government is also working in full steam on the preparation work for Integrated Waste Management Facility Phase 2 IPARK2 to expand wastetoenergy capacity The goal is to achieve zero landfill with the efforts of the HKSAR Government and citizens
The report and Hong Kong 2024 Municipal Solid Waste At a Glance are both available in electronic format and can be obtained from the EPD website at
