Synergy of the municipal solid waste (MSW) charging scheme with different strategies for food waste recycling in Hong Kong

Abstract

Food waste minimization is an issue in any destinations. Most of the food waste from households, commerce and industries are disposed of in strategic landfills but the landfills are going to reach their capacity. A new policy, the municipal solid waste (MSW) charging scheme, will be implemented in 2023. It is anticipated reducing MSW production including food waste. This study conducts interviews with stakeholders and questionnaires with the residents in the region. Through the analysis of interviews and survey responses, the challenges and opportunities of the MSW charging scheme for handling food waste were determined. The interview results revealed that NGOs put effort into food waste reduction and recycling while the government tends to operate the MSW charging scheme by itself. In the meantime, the respondents from the survey believed in low effectiveness of the MSW charging scheme on food waste minimization. Education on food waste separation and cooperation with NGOs can coordinate with food waste recycling under MSW charging scheme. This research was fully supported by Research Grants Council of the HKSAR, China (UGC/IDS(R)25/20).