Alternatives Report
Waste Management in Sai Kung
Amy Wakeford
Cynthia
Siu Lok
Liru Wang
Huadong Song
Problems raised in the baseline studies
1. Management - waste management is controlled centrally and not locally.
2. Policy - lack of policies and market-based measures to enforce waste reduction (Eg. waste disposal charges and collection fees).
3. Public education - lack of education on the importance of waste reduction.
4. Community Initiatives - lack of community initiatives and involvement.
5. Upstream effects of waste - poor awareness and policies controlling the upstream production and effects of products (manufacturers, producers, retailers).
6. Facilities - Lack of reuse, recycling and recovery facilities in Sai Kung and Hong Kong.
7. Perception - waste is looked at as a useless by- product, rather than a resource.
Concerns of StakeholdersResidents:• They feel there are not enough recycling facilities in
SK and are located in inconvenient places.• Feel that they can’t do much because the
government hasn’t provided the facilities or they unaware of what already exists.
Restaurants:• They are concerned about the hygiene impact from
food waste.• They want the most cost-effective and efficient waste
management system.
Local pickers:• They are concerned about getting as much recyclable
waste as possible to make money.• Would like more support from the government in what they
are doing.
NGOs:• Their main concern is the government isn’t doing anything.• People should take their own initiative to reduce the
amount of waste they produce. For example, Composting
Government (District councilor):• He thinks that there are not enough waste collection and
recycling facilities in Sai Kung.• He would like to see the government do more about waste
reduction.
Gap analysis
University of British Columbia Southeast False Creek
Small town within a big city, surrounded by ocean and parks
Community composition – Hi-rise residences, houses, businesses, restaurants, offices, university buildings
Official community plan – incorporates sustainable development
Small community within a big city
Community composition – Mid-rise residences and a few businesses
Official community plan – based on sustainable development (acts as a model)
Benchmarking
Benchmarks UBCSoutheast False
CreekSai Kung
1. Plans and Policies Official Community Plan- incorporates sustainable waste management
Official Community Plan- incorporates sustainable waste management
Hong Kong’s municipal solid waste strategy
2. Mode of management
Locally controlled – community initiative
Locally controlled – community initiative
Centrally controlled
3. Waste management system
Well developed recycling and composting scheme
Well developed recycling and composting scheme
Poorly developed recycling scheme and no composting
4. Main types of waste produced
Paper, plastic and organics Paper, plastic and organics Paper, plastic and organics
5. Community involvement
High High Low
6. Public education and awareness
High High Low
7. Market-based measures
Incentives for waste reducers and charging for not recycling office paper
Free organic and recycling collection/ charge for collection of garbage
Small incentive for reuseable bags in chain stores
8. Integrated with other sectors of the community
Integrated with urban agriculture and horticulture
Integrated with urban agriculture
Isolated
Alternatives - Government
1. Policy Measures (HK government’s new policy framework) Waste charging, producer responsibility scheme, and landfill disposal bans
2. Public education EPD, NGO’s and local council should provide workshops, posters, pamphlets
and letters on the 4 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle and recover) and how the community can get involved.
3. Facilities The government should provide more waste recycling facilities in various
locations.
4. Markets The government should provide more incentives and subsidies to promote
local recycling and recovery industries.
5. Provide Funding – to promote community initiatives and waste reduction programmes.
Town centre
SchoolsVillages
Product- compost
(Fertilizer)
Composting garden with
public allotments
Composting and environmental
education garden
Community composting, public allotments& public education garden
MarketsBio-diesel
Community Plan – Community composting
and urban agriculture
Community
Community Initiative:
Action Plan:
• To promote decentralization of waste management by the local council and increase community involvement.
• To develop a community-based circular economy through urban agriculture and composting.
• To improve the social development of SK by employing local pickers and the unemployed as food waste collectors.
• To reduce the level of organic matter going to the landfill.
Town centre
Plan:
Create a community-based organic waste collection service and composting garden.
Provide public allotments for locals who want to grow organic vegetables and develop a weekly farmer’s market.
Develop an education centre related to composting and green technologies.
Aim:
•To manage the food waste from restaurants and residential units.
•To develop a local urban agriculture system.
•To educate the public on waste reduction and composting practices.
Type of facility:
In-vessel compostingfacility
Education Centre
Public allotments
Farmer’s Market
Bio-diesel
VillagesAim: • To manage the food waste from
residential units.
• To provide public allotments for locals to grow vegetables.
Plan:
To create an organic waste collection service and community composting gardens within the villages.
The compost bins will be managed by the locals in payment for an allotment.
Type of facility:
Small gardens centrally located within villages.
Use of drum composting bins.
Schools
Aim: • To educate our next generation
about waste reduction
Plan:
To create a small scale composting garden for educational purposes.
Initiate class composting
Type of facility:
Small scale composting garden (Rooftop composting garden if land is limited)
Different types of composting bins e.g. worm bin, drum barrel
Circular economy
Local residents sell organic produce and
compost at a Farmer’s Market held at the community garden.
Local residents buy local food and
dispose of food waste in the designated collection bins.
Waste is collected by local pickers or
unemployed with VVs powered by bio-diesel.
Waste is taken to a community
composting garden and composted.
Locals who want to a piece of land to
grow food can have it for free if they volunteer to
manage the composting bins.
Public education and community
involvement
Bio-diesel
Aim: To manage used animal fat and cooking
oil from restaurants and residential units.
To provide a “clean” source of fuel for the food waste collection trucks.
Plan:
Collect the used animal fat and cooking oil from restaurants to be used to make biofuel.
To create a small bio-diesel production site at the town centre composting garden.
To fill the collection trucks with bio-diesel.
• Clean burning alternative fuel produced from domestic renewable resources.• Contain no petroleum, can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel.• No major modification on the conventional engines is needed.• Compare with petroleum diesel, it can reduce 78% CO2, 47% particulate matter and 48% CO.
Markets for compostTown centre community garden:1.Public allotments2.AFCD – forest fertilization3.Gardening centers4.Local buyers
Villages:Public allotments
Schools:School garden
BenefitsEnvironmental:
• Divert waste from landfill
• Extending the life of the landfill
• Minimize the methane production at landfill
• Reduce pollution (transportation)
• Enhance local biodiversity
• Improve food security
Political:
• Devolution of power
to the local council.
Economic:
• Production of local produce
• Production of compost
• Generating job opportunities for the unemployed.
• Extending the life of the landfill
Social:
• Provide education to the younger generation
• Improve the local hygiene
• Increase awareness on waste reduction, composting and green technologies.
• Provide jobs for local pickers
• Foster a sense of community
• Promote a healthy and organic diet.
Indicators and targets for the composting and urban agriculture scheme
Indicator Target
Total amount of organic waste diverted from the landfill
All organic waste diverted from the landfill
Community participation rate 100% participation
Number of local pickers and unemployed working as collectors
Increasing
Amount of local produce sold at the farmer’s market
Increasing
~ The End ~