Towards a sustainable and low carbon waste management in Hong Kong : an assessment of emissions pathways and waste management strategies

Abstract

Hong Kong’s overreliance on landfills, large waste loads, and limited local recycling capabilities continue to afflict the city’s municipal solid waste management. In 2019, Hong Kong generated 2.07 kg/person/ day of municipal solid waste- double that of Tokyo’s or Seoul’s, while recycling rates have been declining. In 2021, Hong Kong released its Waste Blueprint 2035 outlining the city’s vision of waste reduction, resources circulation and zero landfill. In the same year, Hong Kong announced a carbon neutrality goal by 2050. This study assessed the current state of municipal solid waste management and its future emissions pathways, using quantitative and qualitative methods. First, the study quantified how the plans in the strategy documents contribute to the city’s emissions reductions through scenario-building and analysed for emissions pathways. The study used quantitative data for the Solid Waste Emissions Estimation Tool to project emission pathways until 2050. Results show that business-as-usual landfilling method emits the most. In the Zero Landfill scenario, an integrated solution that includes waste reduction, increased recycling, and waste-to-energy approaches, 23% of emissions can be reduced by 2050 compared to 2019 levels. Waste reduction and recycling show the largest reduction potentials, avoiding almost 60% of emissions. Then, this study assessed the gaps in solid waste management and explored possible solutions. Using qualitative data from key informant interviews, this study identified some gaps including the business sustainability of recycling and collection services, and suggested the following strategies: (1) complementing the 2021 Municipal Solid Waste charing regulation with mandatory waste separation regulation; (2) privatizing food waste collection and transportation to anaerobic digestion facilities; (3) reducing landfill reliance by directing fiscal resources to recovery and recycling; (4) bolstering the local recycling industry through subsidies and support for informal recyclers; and (5) encouraging changes in public behaviour through a waste collection system in housing estates.

Date of Award	2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Supervisor	Laurence Delina (Supervisor) & Maria Obiminda Cambaliza (Supervisor)