October 16, 2022
Hong Kong may appear clean because its cities are clean, but the truth is that it is no different from other countries in that it is still unable to create a perfect waste collection system. The recycling infrastructure is also limited, and some residents, particularly those in government housing, are unable to collect their waste on their own. As a result, some garbage that was not collected is stuck in some dump sites.
The poor residents, on the other hand, are doing the part of collecting cardboard boxes and other recyclable wastes and selling them in recycling factories. This somehow helps them earn a decent amount monthly to suffice their needs.
As a nature lover, it saddened me to see Mother Nature suffer as a result of humans' improper waste disposal. When I first moved into this house five years ago, I felt guilty every time I disposed of recyclable waste because there were no sites or stations in this city that accepted it.
So when the Green Walled City was opened in our city, I took my part to help collect recyclable garbage and put them in the Green Walled City station.
This is part of the waste reduction program of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) in Hong Kong, and also to encourage residents to properly dispose of their garbage, to partake in recycling recyclable wastes, and develop a green community.
When the recycling station was established, I took the initiative to save recycling waste at home to encourage this Chinese family to participate as well. I was surprised when they decided to save recyclable waste as well.
Recyclable waste is saved for the week and they are disposed to the recycling station every Friday or Saturday. Our recycling box was already full, so I needed to deliver them to the station yesterday morning.
Bottles should be emptied and cleaned before delivering them to the station.
Someone at home likes drinking wine and beers, and the other one likes buying bottled apple cider juice, so we always have a lot of bottles and cans here at home.
To easily dispose of them at the station, I would segregate them first according to their types: plastics, papers, bottles, metals, and others if we have more.
All were packed separately and placed in a huge bag, ready to be discarded.
Staff are assisting the recyclers in sorting and collecting their waste. All wastes are recorded with corresponding points.
Recyclers have their own green card where accumulated points are stored. This has been with me for quite a long time. You can tell from those scratches and faded color.
The points can later be redeemed in exchange for some goods, such as rice, noodles, oil, snacks, and others.
Using my 3350 points, I was able to take home 1kg of rice, 900ml of canola oil, and a pack of vermicelli noodles. The rewards are lesser in comparison to the money we could earn if we sold them in recycling factories, but the true reward of saving nature is priceless.
The types of recyclables accepted here include:
All collected recyclables in this station will then be delivered downstream on a certain day for processing. Aside from this station, there are other stations too in other parts of Hong Kong.
I sincerely commend EPD Hong Kong's waste reduction program for encouraging the public to properly dispose of their waste and send it to this station. There will be more green living culture communities if the public continues to cooperate in recycling waste.
Do you still remember my travel blog to Little Dubai of Hong Kong?
This wave-like canopy is made up of thirty thousand plastic bottle caps collected from improper waste disposal along the harbor. The bottle caps were turned into art and are now one of the attractions in East Coast Park Precinct, alongside The Harbor Wave architecture.
You can click here to read more about this tourist attraction.
We aren't capable of collecting all garbage in our place, but if each community will help together, then we can save Mother Nature and we can have a healthier and green community.
(All photos are mine)
