Waste Mountain Puts Hong Kong At The Top of the Heap

By Theodora Filis

Hong Kong has topped the list of most waste-producing countries in the world, generating 6.34 million tons of garbage in 2009. The mountain of waste takes up an area of about 667 acres. 

As Hong Kong’s economy grows so does its municipal waste.  Municipal waste has been increasing since 1986, mirroring Hong Kong's rapid economic expansion over the same period. The population has grown by more than one million people and each person is throwing away more waste. In 2008, the per capita disposal rate of municipal solid waste was 1.35 kilograms per day.

The major dilemma facing the metropolis now is that landfills, where waste is being dumped, are filling up fast, with most expected to be at full capacity by 2015, according to Friends of the Earth data.

Figures released by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), Hong Kong produces 2,026 lbs of solid waste per capita. This equates to nearly 17,000 tons of garbage per day – enough to fill 340 double-decker buses. On average, people in Hong Kong produced more than twice as much trash as those in Japan (904 lbs) and South Korea (838 lbs), reports the South China Morning Post.

Waste is a common problem in affluent societies. People can afford greater conveniences and more purchases thus, tend to throw away more rubbish. Hong Kong is no exception to this. Unless solutions are identified immediately, Hong Kong could face a crisis in the next decade of having nowhere to put the thousands of tonnes of waste thrown away each day.

Municipal solid waste includes waste from households, industry, and commercial operations, but landfills in Hong Kong are also under tremendous pressure from construction waste. In 2006, the Government introduced the construction waste disposal charging scheme, and the quantity of construction waste disposed of at landfills decreased from 6,560 tonnes per day in 2005 to 2,660 tonnes per day in 2008. This figure fluctuates depending on the economic situation and the number of construction projects underway.

The good news is that half of the waste generated by the 7 million people on the island is recovered by recyclers. The city's recycling program was introduced in 1998, recycling plastic, metal, and paper. Recently there's been a drive to encourage people to find ways to reduce waste and recycle more effectively. Green activists are pushing for the institution of a fee on landfill waste, but so far their efforts remain fruitless.

In 1995 an attempt was made to impose a HK $42 fee per ton of garbage, however, the move proved hugely unpopular and was later abandoned by the government.

"It is unlikely the government would set the charge too high, but a low charge, which could just mean one or two dollars per day per person, is not at all a strong disincentive for creating waste," said Dr. Chung Shan-shan, a waste management specialist with Baptist University, according to the South China Morning Post report.

When compared to Britain, where the tax imposed on garbage dumping was more than HK $400 per ton, the incentive to reduce waste was compelling, she noted.