Recycling Bins Should Not Be Phased Out: Green Group

A green group said on Friday that recycling bins still have a role to play and should not be completely phased out.

In its response to an Ombudsman investigation into the management and effectiveness of these bins, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said it foresees a declining demand for roadside recycling facilities in urban areas.

It said in future, these bins will mainly be available in remote rural areas and residential premises on scattered sites – and may even be completely replaced by the Green@Community recycling network.

But on an RTHK programme, a senior project officer from the Green Earth, Edmond Lau, said recycling bins are not replaceable, as they offer a larger coverage compared to community recycling stations or stores.

"We should keep those spaces that the government has fought for for those recycling bins, but might have to change it to recycling something else," he said.

"The community recycling stations have eight kinds of recyclables that they will receive. They have a pretty good image although it's paid by a very high operational cost. But then for other kinds of waste, for example, the one with the highest portion in municipal solid waste, food waste, it does not have a very highly established recycling system."

Lau said the recycling bins can be used to collect recyclables that aren't adequately covered by the community recycling stations or items that are commonly thrown out by households and businesses.

In its direct investigation released on Thursday, the Ombudsman also noted that there has been improvement in the management of recycling bins since the EPD took over the reins in October 2020.

But it said there are still some problems, including overly simple labels on the bins, which fail to effectively reduce improper use.

Lau said more information should be provided so people know how to use the bins correctly.

He added that sensors could also be added to the recycling bins to offer real-time monitoring data, such as how full they are.