Imagine 3,600 tonnes of food waste being thrown away daily in our landfills, where only 3.33% of food waste in Hong Kong is recycled—it’s eye-opening. We can no longer dump food waste into our extremely limited and valuable landfills, and we are unconsciously throwing away useful organic resources because most people aren't aware, and that is the problem. The act of responsibly disposing of food waste and composting may not seem like common practice in Hong Kong, but we as a city are taking steps towards finding ways to incorporate food waste recycling into everyday life. 

What’s more, when food waste is thrown away in plastic rubbish bags, this causes the release of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 21 times more toxic than carbon dioxide. This means the process of the food breaking down is slowed down significantly.  So when you dispose of food waste for composting, make sure you are using compostable bin liners!

Live Zero recently partnered with Eco Community Promotion Association Limited (ECPAL) to tackle this problem. This Hong Kong-based non-profit organisation aims to work with different industries across the city to build a greener community and provide greener services.

ECPAL’s community recycling bins stationed around the city are available for public use by simply filling out the form for your preferred location, and paying a reasonable monthly subscription fee. For our Sai Ying Pun neighbours who are interested, please click here. For our Happy Valley neighbours who are interested, please click here. 

Twice a week, the food waste recycling bin located outside our Sai Ying Pun store is collected and replaced with a clean, empty bin, and the food waste is taken to O·PARK1 on Lantau Island, Hong Kong’s first organic resources recovery centre, where anaerobic digestion technology is used to convert food waste into biogas, a source of renewable energy. O·PARK1 can handle up to 200 tonnes of food waste per day, and residues from the process can then be turned into compost for landscaping and agricultural use.

Currently, there are ECPAL food waste recycling bins in the below areas:

• Sai Ying Pun
• Happy Valley
• North Point
• Pok Fu Lam
• Wan Chai
• Ap Lei Chau
• Repulse Bay
• Kennedy Town

If you are keen to join the fight against food waste, or you don’t live in or around the above areas, head to the ECPAL website, submit the relevant form and encourage your friends and family to participate!

If you have any questions about our food waste recycling partnership, please do not hesitate to contact us or EPCAL directly!