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Municipal solid waste disposal in Hong Kong fell for the third consecutive year to 3.85 million tonnes in 2024, down 3.4 percent from 2023, according to the Environmental Protection Department's “Monitoring of Solid Waste in Hong Kong Waste Statistics for 2024.”
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Municipal solid waste includes domestic waste, commercial waste, and industrial waste, according to the EPD.
Per capita disposal decreased 3.3 percent to 1.4 kilograms per day. Significant reductions included 11.1 percent for plastics, 6 percent for food waste, and 7.1 percent for glass.
Food waste remained the largest category at 29 percent, followed by paper at 23 percent and plastics at 18 percent.
The EPD attributed declines in food and plastic waste to government food waste recycling schemes and heightened global awareness of plastic reduction.
After the government optimized the Plastic Shopping Bag Charging Scheme, the amount of shopping bag waste disposed of continued to decline to 56,408 tonnes, a decrease of 11 percent compared to 63,367 tonnes in 2023.
Meanwhile, the recycling rate of municipal solid waste has increased for four consecutive years, from 33 percent in 2023 to 34 percent in 2024, with an increase of 50,000 tonnes in total volume, mainly brought about by food waste and metals.
As for the construction waste, the overall quantity of construction waste generation in 2024 increased by about 4,945 tonnes per day as compared to 2023, to 50,505 tonnes per day on average.
During the same period, the construction activities by the main contractors increased by 6.3 percent.
However, the average quantity of construction waste reused was 45,810 tonnes per day, with a construction waste recovery rate over 90 percent.
The EPD highlighted that government measures have reversed the rising trend in municipal waste disposal, advancing the 2035 vision of "Waste Reduction‧Resources Circulation‧Zero Landfill” through initiatives like GREEN@COMMUNITY to boost community recycling.
