The world is facing a significant challenge in managing waste, and some countries have developed effective waste sorting and recycling systems to address this issue.

Japan is recognized as one of the best countries in terms of waste disposal, with a gradual development of a sense of garbage sorting through half a century of sustained efforts and strict laws and regulations.

The key to Japan's success lies in its gradual and tailored approach to waste management, which has involved the implementation of strict laws and regulations to enforce proper waste sorting and disposal practices.

In contrast, countries like Hong Kong have struggled with waste management, with a lack of effective waste sorting and recycling systems in place.

However, other countries such as South Korea have made significant progress in waste management, with the implementation of a waste levy system in 1995 that has reduced waste disposal by 24% and increased the recovery rate to over 60%.

The city of Seoul in South Korea has been particularly successful in implementing a series of supporting measures to change the entire waste treatment model, public perception of waste, and living habits.

The European Union is also a leader in waste management, with countries like Belgium achieving a recycling rate of 91%.

The EU's success can be attributed to its implementation of a packaging waste directive that requires member states to achieve a minimum recycling rate for packaging waste.

In Asia, countries like Singapore have also made significant progress in waste management, with a small population but a highly professional and centralized waste recycling system.

Singapore's waste management system is characterized by a meticulous classification of waste into paper, plastic, glass, and metal, with garden waste collected separately.

The country's incineration plants also reduce the volume of waste by 90%, with only 3% of non-incineration and non-recyclable waste sent to landfills.

According to statistics, Singapore's solid waste recycling rate reached 51.7% in 2020, making it a model for other countries to follow.

The government plays a crucial role in promoting and implementing effective waste sorting and recycling practices, with countries like South Korea and Singapore having implemented waste levies and recycling systems [3].

In South Korea, the government introduced waste utilization measures in a multi-pronged manner to achieve long-term management, resulting in a comprehensive and mature environmental policy.

Similarly, in Singapore, the National Environment Agency (NEA) licenses waste management enterprises to provide waste collection and recycling services to residents, ensuring a high level of professionalism and centralization.

In contrast, countries like Hong Kong have been criticized for their lack of effective waste management policies, with a fragmented waste management system that has not kept pace with other regions.

However, the Hong Kong government has recently implemented a garbage levy, which is expected to promote waste reduction and recycling.

The implementation of waste charging is seen as a cornerstone of the promotion of waste reduction and recycling, with many regions increasing recycling to reduce the amount of waste.

For example, in Korea, urban solid waste charging has been implemented since 1995, resulting in a significant reduction in waste disposal and an increase in the recovery rate.

Overall, countries like Japan, South Korea, and Singapore have developed effective waste sorting and recycling systems, with a combination of government policies, public education, and infrastructure development [1] [3].

These countries have demonstrated that with a gradual and tailored approach, it is possible to achieve significant reductions in waste disposal and increases in recycling rates [1] [3].

As the world continues to grapple with the challenges of waste management, it is essential to learn from the experiences of these countries and implement effective waste sorting and recycling practices [1] [3].

The world is facing a significant challenge in managing waste, and some countries have developed effective waste sorting and recycling systems to address this issue.

Japan is recognized as one of the best countries in terms of waste disposal, with a gradual development of a sense of garbage sorting through half a century of sustained efforts and strict laws and regulations.

Title:

Content: Bauhinia Party ｜ Refresh Waste Charges
Author: 01 Forum
Published: Updated:
Like most Hong Kong people, I did not have any concept or awareness of garbage collection, until I heard that it was officially implemented on April 1 this year, and I began to pay attention to it.
In fact, the legislation on waste charging has been passed by the Legislative Council as early as August 2021, and the specific provisions of waste charging are actually very simple and clear, that is, based on the "polluter pays" principle, all waste, whether from individuals, families or groups, or according to the pre-purchased designated garbage bags, or according to the weight of the waste, the "entry fee".
As for the government's intention to implement waste charging, it is also very clear and simple, that is, to force the public to reduce waste and recycle through charging, and promote the sustainable development of ecology.
Author ： Zhou Xiaojao
Although the rules are simple and clear, it is not so easy to really land.
In order to pay less, people will try to pack more garbage into garbage bags. How should those crowded garbage bags be tracked and handled? In order to pay less, people will dispose of their garbage in public places such as streets, parks, markets, shopping malls, etc., how should such behavior be identified and enforced? As for the different groups that produce large amounts of waste, as well as the property, cleaning, refuse collection and other organizations that assist in the disposal of waste, a series of countermeasures are also required.
It is in view of the complexity of implementation that the Government has set aside a preparation period of up to 18 months for the formal implementation of the Ordinance.
However, the general public, like the author, did not really start to pay attention to the new policy, which will affect every household, until the first two or three months of its implementation, and there was a lot of uncertainty and doubt. Ming. "
But the question is, is the disruption caused by garbage charges really just a problem of insufficient publicity?
How to deal with garbage is an old problem faced by cities, especially large cities.
Specifically, there are three core issues surrounding the garbage problem: First, how to control the amount of garbage generated? Second, how to encourage the classification of garbage management? Third, how to deal with different types of garbage? The first issue mainly relates to the source of garbage: how to avoid excessive packaging?
How to promote the environmental protection of packaging materials? The second issue relates to the recycling of waste: how to guide the public to separate and collect different types of waste according to the difficulty of recycling? The third issue relates to the fate of waste: simple stacking, centralized landfill or recycling, incineration and power generation?
In response to the above garbage issue, Hong Kong has not made a satisfactory response for a long time, let alone effective action.
The lunch boxes purchased on the street are still foam or plastic that cannot be decomposed. Shopping bags provided by shopping malls are also plastic products, and the goods purchased from the mainland are wrapped in plastic layer after layer.
There was a time when Hong Kong encouraged the classification of kitchen waste and the production of agricultural fertilizer from kitchen waste. Unfortunately, this good practice failed to persist, and the public has not formed a self-awareness of garbage classification.
A large amount of waste has been sent to the countryside to landfill without any sorting. The existing three major landfills are already overwhelmed, and facilities such as waste power generation have taken more than 10 years to start.
Solving the waste problem itself is a systematic project, involving all aspects, coupled with the interests of thousands of households and changes in living habits, so each country in the disposal of the waste issue mostly adopt a gradual, tailored, durable strategy.
Japan is recognized as the best country in terms of waste disposal. The key to its success is the gradual development of a sense of garbage sorting through half a century of sustained efforts and strict laws and regulations.
Mainland China also tries to start with garbage sorting, although there is a strong enforcement force, but the government still dare not play a game of chess across the country, but choose some cities to pilot first, and then gradually push to the whole country.
In contrast, Hong Kong, which has been lagging behind on garbage disposal, naively uses “polluter pays ” as the ultimate“ killer ’ s mace ” in an attempt to “get it done. ”
This mentality is understandable, but can a simple, one-size-fits-all waste charge really solve the waste problem facing Hong Kong?
Can you encourage eco-friendly packaging?
Can you promote garbage separation?
More importantly, can the current waste charging design really reduce the amount of waste generated?
I am afraid the answers to these questions are not as optimistic as the Government thinks.
If Hong Kong ’ s waste challenge is not effectively addressed, then what is the point of this policy, which costs the time and money of all citizens and stakeholders?
For example, in order to make up for the long-term inaction on reclamation, the SAR Government hastily launched the HK $trillion-dollar Lantau Island Construction Project in the absence of full consultation with the community, making it difficult for the project to ride under the current internal and external environment. The awkward situation.
The author is not sure whether garbage collection will also face similar experiences, but if the publicity and communication in the next few months can not convince the community that the relevant garbage collection policy can effectively solve the garbage problem faced by Hong Kong, then it is necessary for the SAR Government to suspend the implementation of the relevant policy, and redesign the plan to be more gradual and targeted, focusing on effectively solving the waste generation, waste management and recycling. A series of policies, and consistent implementation.
In fact, the above doubts about the government ’ s waste charging policy have emerged since the government first introduced the relevant bill to the Legislative Council in 2018.
Although the Bills Committee set up at that time to scrutinize the relevant bills supported the direction of the Government's waste reduction policy, it also made a large number of recommendations on the effective implementation of the relevant policies. Some members even held different views on whether the relevant fees could achieve the preset targets.
The Government has also responded to the views of the Bills Committee, including improving waste reduction and recycling measures and providing assistance to those in need.
Regrettably, these reasonable measures should be perfect in the two years after the passage of the relevant regulations in the preparatory stage either in the form, or the lack of publicity, and ultimately let this in the design of the innate deficiencies, in the landing and inadequate preparation of the waste reduction policy is likely to fall into the eyes of the public "workers hurt money" and abandoned halfway.
The author, Zhou Xiaojui, is a researcher at the Bauhinia Institute for Policy Studies.
The article is only the opinion of the author and does not represent the position of Hong Kong 01.
Please email us at 01view @ hk01.com.
Please attach the author ’ s real name and contact details.
If not applicable, no notice will be given.

The key to Japan's success lies in its gradual and tailored approach to waste management, which has involved the implementation of strict laws and regulations to enforce proper waste sorting and disposal practices.

In contrast, countries like Hong Kong have struggled with waste management, with a lack of effective waste sorting and recycling systems in place.

However, other countries such as South Korea have made significant progress in waste management, with the implementation of a waste levy system in 1995 that has reduced waste disposal by 24% and increased the recovery rate to over 60%.

Title:

Content: 【 Printing 】
Swiss garbage smugglers evade high charges in France
Related LINKS http: / / www.CRNT.com 2024-04-23 10: 11: 12
Beijing, April 23 (Xinhua) -- According to a report by the British environmental consultancy Eunomia, the global recycling rate ranking in 2017, Hong Kong ranked 24th, and Switzerland ranked 9th.
Since 2012, the Swiss government has introduced a tax on garbage bags to subsidize waste disposal costs, but the high fees have led some Swiss to leave their waste in neighboring France.
To this end, the French government cracked down on "smuggling" garbage, blocking nearly 10 tons of garbage from Switzerland, and fined 150 euros each.
South Korea has implemented garbage charging since 1995, and the overall waste disposal volume has been greatly reduced by 40%, and the recycling rate has reached more than 60%.
Compared to “one size fits all ” measures, the Korean government implemented the waste reduction plan in a step-by-step manner.
Waste charging is carried out in the form of bag charging, and then gradually expanded to restrict the use of disposable products, recycling of kitchen waste, etc., to deal with waste in a multi-pronged manner.
The environmental equation “3R ” has a priority: reduce waste, reuse, and recycle. Lisa Ramsden, a member of Greenpeace America, pointed out that large food and daily necessities companies have been promoting recycling for many years, but the results have not been good, so the“ naked buy ” consumption model of Reuse and Refill, that is, self-purchased containers. Buy the required items to really reduce waste at the source.
【 Printing 】
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The city of Seoul in South Korea has been particularly successful in implementing a series of supporting measures to change the entire waste treatment model, public perception of waste, and living habits.

Title:

Content: Hong Kong ’ s slow progress in environmental governance – why not look at the Greater Bay Area and the world?
Author: Liu Mengting
Published: Updated:
In 2005, the SAR Government proposed to develop a recycling economy, that is, to reduce the environmental burden by repairing, recycling and extending the service life of materials, to find a way out for recycling recyclable materials, and to promote the development of related industries and promote economic diversification.
However, more than a decade later, Hong Kong ’ s circular economy has not made much progress.
In this regard, some scholars suggest leveraging the advantages of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
At the same time, Hong Kong ’ s waste management policy is not yet climate, and we must match the experience of “top students ” such as Korea, Taiwan and Singapore.
Circular Economy Enemies the Greater Bay Area
Professor Patrick Poon, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, has been developing a patented technology for converting waste glass into environmentally friendly bricks since the 1990s, with a view to improving the recycling efficiency of waste glass.
Green brick is a kind of concrete brick, can effectively use construction waste and waste glass, the third generation of green brick has been put into the market as paving brick.
For more than 20 years, the technology has been optimized by scholars to the fifth generation, but it is still “technology without market ”.
In an interview with "Hong Kong 01" recently, Poon mentioned the two main reasons why the development of the local green brick industry is hindered, which is also the dilemma faced by Hong Kong's circular economy.
Pan Chih-sheng says that the research on green bricks has been successful, but the price is not competitive. (photo by O'Cara)
One of the main reasons is that local manufacturing has caused the high enterprise products to lose market advantage. Poon analysis, because the whole production process of environmentally friendly bricks produced in Hong Kong is completed in Hong Kong, and the land price and labor in Hong Kong are very high, and the price has also risen with the water. It is necessary to open up the market to achieve maximum trade liberalization, so the possibility of contractors choosing Hong Kong materials for profit considerations is very low.
On the other hand, the Hong Kong government has not introduced relevant policies to require the actual use of environmentally friendly materials, in the absence of just the premise, the market share of environmentally friendly bricks is unstable, and the current use of the third generation of environmentally friendly bricks is about 20% more expensive than natural sand bricks, so the project side may not consider the use of environmentally friendly bricks.
Another major obstacle is that the government did not help. Pan Zhisheng pointed out that environmental protection bricks are made of recycled materials, although the quality and performance of the bricks are not lost to natural sand and stone, but the quality difference is greater.
However, according to the existing government regulations, the two are regarded as the same, that is, the quality of environmentally friendly materials is too high, but it may still be regarded as unqualified due to the degree of quality difference. This single regulation is a constraint for the application of environmentally friendly bricks. If the outlook does not improve, it will be more difficult to attract investors.
Under such a vicious cycle, the government has no intention to invest or give support, and the environmental protection brick industry chain has become a dead end.
The recycling rate of local waste in Hong Kong is low, and exports are facing many restrictions.
In an interview with Hong Kong 01, Wong Woon-chung, director of the Johan Centre for Applied Forestry Research in the Pearl River Delta (PRD), Hong Kong Baptist University, pointed out that the land resources in Hong Kong are tight, such as the opening of a recycling plant for recycled materials will double the cost.
Mr Wong stressed that the circular economy requires complementary advantages from different regions. There is no way out if the development vision is limited to Hong Kong. (photo by Mr Cheng Tze-feng)
Waste management in Hong Kong is inefficient and should be seen around the world
South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan implemented waste levies in 1995, 1996 and 2000 respectively. Since then, they have gradually developed comprehensive and mature environmental policies with local characteristics.
Hong Kong's waste management system has been fragmented for many years, and it is time to look at the world and learn from advanced experience and thinking.
Hong Kong ’ s waste management policy has not been good for many years, and the climate should be on par with other regions. (Photo by Tsai Cheng-pong)
Korea has introduced waste utilization measures in a multi-pronged manner to achieve long-term management, so the Korean waste management system is at the forefront of Asia.
For example, the city of Seoul, which has achieved the most remarkable results, introduced a series of supporting measures in a few years to change the entire waste treatment model, public perception of waste and living habits after the implementation of the garbage levy system in 1995.
In contrast, the Hong Kong Government is always "discussing" with the industry and "considering" the initiatives of environmental protection groups.
Taiwan is also a leader in waste management in Asia.
The Taiwan government sent a special cleaning team to collect household waste from residents using two types of recycling trucks – yellow garbage trucks are used to collect general waste from residents using official garbage bags, and white garbage trucks are used to collect raw and cooked food waste, plastic and other recyclable resources.
As early as 1997, the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency launched the "Resource Recovery 4-in-1 Program", which fully mobilized the role of the government, manufacturers, consumers and licensed recycling enterprises in waste management, not only to skillfully distribute the financial costs, but also to reflect the principle of impartiality.
Singapore has a small population, similar to Hong Kong, but the waste recycling work is more professional and centralized.
In Singapore, three waste management enterprises are licensed by the National Environment Agency (NEA) to provide waste collection and recycling services to residents in different parts of the country. The waste is meticulously classified into paper, plastic, glass and metal, and the garden waste is collected separately.
In the recycling process, incineration plants reduce the volume of waste by 90%, and then use 3% of non-incineration and non-recyclable waste to landfill to reduce the environmental burden.
According to statistics, Singapore ’ s solid waste recycling rate reached 51.7% in 2020, a model that Hong Kong can learn from.
As for the administrative efficiency of the Mainland, it is also worth reflecting on the Hong Kong government. In July 2019, Shanghai implemented what has been described as the “world ’ s most stringent ” waste separation measure.
First of all, its domestic waste is strictly divided into four categories, namely recyclables, hazardous waste, wet waste and dry waste; secondly, if individuals or units do not dispose of garbage in accordance with the classification, they will be punished with severe high fines.
Under the mandatory implementation of the government, Shanghai residents have achieved good environmental protection results after experiencing "pain".
The Garbage Levy Ordinance has already been introduced, but the Government must not be complacent about it, but must think about how to tie in with the Ordinance in the next step, and adopt a systematic and comprehensive thinking to achieve long-term waste management.
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The European Union is also a leader in waste management, with countries like Belgium achieving a recycling rate of 91%.

Title:

Content: ROP, or How will Kyrgyzstan recycle its waste?
In Bishkek, a seminar was held on the topic of extended producer responsibility (EPR) for the disposal of goods and packaging, organized by the WasteNet.KG. project.
The seminar was attended by producers of products, government authorities, waste processing enterprises, non-governmental and international organizations and experts.
Director of CSR Central Asia Agency Asel Arstanbekova noted that the issues of environmental safety, social responsibility of producers are very acute.
“In many countries, the topic of social expanded responsibility is already active and, having studied their experience, we would like to determine what is applicable for Kyrgyzstan, ” she said.
WasteNet.KG expert Natalia Baidakova presented the concept of the concept of extended producer responsibility (EPR), its implementation mechanisms, and the ultimate goal of which is to reduce and gradually reduce to zero the disposal of waste that can be used in recycling and recycling.
How is the situation with the ROP in Kyrgyzstan?
The issue of waste accumulation in Kyrgyzstan is reflected in many strategic documents, such as the National Development Strategy of Kyrgyzstan until 2040, the Green Economy Concept, and the Green Economy Development Program.
More than 40 laws include waste issues.
The main ones are the law on environmental protection, on industrial waste, which was adopted back in 2001.
Naturally, this document needs to be amended and supplemented.
In addition, a classification of hazardous waste based on international standards has been developed and adopted.
The legislation specifies that separate collection of waste should be carried out, for use as secondary resources it is prohibited to use hazardous waste as secondary raw materials.
But at the same time, many norms are absent, for example, there is no definition of what secondary waste is, there are no norms regulating the collection and processing of secondary raw materials, there are no norms for stimulating the processing of secondary materials, and so on.
The legislation undoubtedly requires changes, another thing is what these changes will be.
On March 19, 2021, a decree of the President of Kyrgyzstan on measures to ensure environmental and climate security was adopted.
A number of points were aimed at improving the efficiency of waste management, implementing separate collection of garbage, including stimulating the creation of recycling enterprises.
In 2019, a number of laws were also amended, for example, the law of consumption production, the procedure for handling hazardous mercury-containing waste.
What now?
In Kyrgyzstan, favorable conditions have been created for the organization of an effective management system and the introduction of expanded producer responsibility.
Thus, in December 2021, the Action Plan of the Cabinet of Ministers on the implementation of the National Development Program of the Kyrgyz Republic until 2026 was approved, which provides for the implementation of a number of measures to improve the waste management system.
The measures are aimed at introducing amendments and additions to laws, regulatory legal acts, including in terms of introducing the principles of the concept of extended responsibility of manufacturers of ROP for the disposal of goods and packaging.
Experience of other countries and international companies
Aleksandara Akirman, Caucasus and Central Asia Public Relations Manager at The Coca-Cola Foundation, noted that almost all global manufacturers of goods and packaging have committed to transfer from 8 to 10% of secondary raw materials to new packaging.
“In the next five to ten years, the companies intend to use more environmentally friendly materials, develop new types of packaging, provide for collection and processing.
At the same time, companies are trying to work with government authorities in their respective countries to ensure that such systems develop.
Now in Kyrgyzstan there is a linear economy of packaging, in which most packages go to landfill, are dumped in the form of garbage.
Almost 100% of the primary material is used.
While in a circular economy, plastic packaging is used endlessly.
The new packaging needs to be recycled.
Such a circular economy is possible.
In more than 30 countries around the world, we produce packaging from recycled materials, ” she said.
The OECD Environment Directorate, economist and environmentalist Frisief Lubinger in his speech noted that at present the ROP system is actively developing and is beginning to be used more intensively around the world.
"The transition to PPE is particularly active in North America, Europe and a number of transition economies, but it should be noted that in transition economies, additional resources are needed to make the system fully operational," he added.
Next, Givi Kalandadze, an expert from Georgia, the chairman of the operator of the ROP, said that the country has a special law on waste management, which has a special section under number 9 dedicated to the ROP.
“Also, the law has an important section dedicated to responsible persons who monitor the ROP.
Such a manager should be in each organization and be responsible for coordination, for cooperation with stakeholders in waste management. "
Experts from Kazakhstan and Russia also spoke about the system of implementation of the ROP in their countries, about successes and failures.
In addition, during the event, it was noted that the first place in the ROP system for packaging is occupied by the countries of the European Union, in which Belgium is the leader, where 91% of the population sorts garbage.
Next are the countries of the Middle East, followed by the countries of Africa, then Latin America, followed by Canada, then the countries of Southeast Asia and close the list of the countries of the former USSR.
Author: Munara Borombaeva.
Photo: Vlad Ushakov
Source: Kuramastory
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The EU's success can be attributed to its implementation of a packaging waste directive that requires member states to achieve a minimum recycling rate for packaging waste.

In Asia, countries like Singapore have also made significant progress in waste management, with a small population but a highly professional and centralized waste recycling system.

Singapore's waste management system is characterized by a meticulous classification of waste into paper, plastic, glass, and metal, with garden waste collected separately.

The country's incineration plants also reduce the volume of waste by 90%, with only 3% of non-incineration and non-recyclable waste sent to landfills.

According to statistics, Singapore's solid waste recycling rate reached 51.7% in 2020, making it a model for other countries to follow.

The government plays a crucial role in promoting and implementing effective waste sorting and recycling practices, with countries like South Korea and Singapore having implemented waste levies and recycling systems [3].

In South Korea, the government introduced waste utilization measures in a multi-pronged manner to achieve long-term management, resulting in a comprehensive and mature environmental policy.

Similarly, in Singapore, the National Environment Agency (NEA) licenses waste management enterprises to provide waste collection and recycling services to residents, ensuring a high level of professionalism and centralization.

In contrast, countries like Hong Kong have been criticized for their lack of effective waste management policies, with a fragmented waste management system that has not kept pace with other regions.

However, the Hong Kong government has recently implemented a garbage levy, which is expected to promote waste reduction and recycling.

Title:

Content: Sihui policy ｜ Waste reduction target not reached in ten years garbage levy or turnaround, but need a large amount of supporting
Author: 01 Forum
Published: Updated:
Hong Kong was originally scheduled to implement the garbage levy from 1 April this year. The public had to use designated garbage bags to collect garbage. The government explained the garbage levy for days, but there are still many doubts and opinions about the implementation details, and even some people think that the garbage levy does not help to reduce waste.
Last week, the Secretary for the Environment and Ecology, Mr Daniel Tse, announced that the statutory effective date of the scheme would be extended to 1 August. Starting from 1 April, government departments and buildings will be tested first to show the actual operation to the public and help the public understand the details of waste charging through on-site publicity and education.
For the public to support the levy, the Government needs to make the public fully aware and actively participate. What is the current state of waste disposal in Hong Kong?
Why do we need to introduce a waste levy?
Written by: Yang Jingwen
Hong Kong still falls short of its target of 10 years ago
Waste is the third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Hong Kong. The government has been encouraging the community to work together to reduce waste and carbon emissions in response to climate change. However, Hong Kong still has not met the official waste reduction target of the Hong Kong Resource Cycle Blueprint 2013-2022, which was proposed in 2013 – that is, to reduce the per capita disposal of solid waste by 40% by 2022, that is 0.8 kg or less.
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) released the “Hong Kong Solid Waste Monitoring Report – Statistics 2022 ” last month, with a total disposal volume of 4.06 million tons of municipal solid waste, with a per capita disposal volume of 1.51 kg per day. The recovery rate of municipal solid waste is only 32%, and most of the waste is still dumped in landfills.
Due to changes in social conditions, the Government launched the “Hong Kong Resource Cycle Blueprint 2035 ” in 2021, setting an interim waste reduction target, hoping to gradually reduce the per capita disposal of municipal solid waste to about 0.85 kg, adopting the“ Universal Waste Reduction ” approach.
The resource cycle.
"Zero Waste Landfill".
Landfills will soon be full, facilities will be decommissioned
The three existing landfills in Hong Kong are expected to be saturated in the next few years. Even if the South East New Territories landfill is expanded, it is expected that the waste disposal needs of Hong Kong will only be met by the 2030s. scarce land resources.
In 2022, the EPD announced that it would develop waste-to-energy facilities to gradually replace landfills.
The Integrated Waste Management Facility (I.PARK), currently under construction near Shek Kwu Chau, is expected to be operational by 2025. It will be capable of handling up to 3,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste per day, which is about 27% of the current waste, and will be able to output 480 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually after full operation, equivalent to about 1% of the electricity consumption of Hong Kong.
In addition, incineration can significantly reduce the volume of waste and reduce the burden on landfills.
Waste incineration must comply with waste levies and recycling measures
Since the Government intends to incinerate waste, why does it still have to implement waste levies and recycling measures?
Up to 30% of municipal solid waste in Hong Kong is food waste, with more than 3,300 tonnes being disposed of daily in 2022, but the recovery rate of food waste is less than 6%.
If waste is treated by incineration in Hong Kong, the food waste is filled with water, which will consume a lot of extra energy during incineration. Therefore, waste separation and recycling can assist in incineration.
The Government launched the Pilot Scheme for the Collection of Food Waste in Public Housing Estates in 2022, and gradually installed smart recycling bins in all public housing estates in Hong Kong during this year. The Pilot Scheme for Smart Food Waste Recycling bins in Private Housing Estates was launched to provide free smart food waste recycling bins to private housing estates with a total household size of not less than 1,000 households and eligible for the specified application.
What ’ s more, turning waste into an energy facility is only the current way to dispose of waste, but it doesn ’ t really reduce waste.
In order to achieve sustainable development in Hong Kong, one of the important actions is to convert suitable waste into resources or energy as far as possible, and to develop a circular economy in line with global trends to create green business opportunities.
Waste charging is the cornerstone of the promotion of waste reduction and recycling, and many regions will increase recycling to reduce the amount of waste. For example, in Korea, urban solid waste charging has been implemented since 1995.
Between 1994 and 2004, waste disposal in Korea decreased by 24% from 58,118 tonnes per day to 50,007 tonnes, and the recovery rate increased from 29% to over 60%.
The implementation of the Hong Kong Garbage Levy is imminent. Previously, a number of "Green in the District" recycling stations were closed during the Christmas holidays, and a large number of recyclables were piled up, which shows that the demand for recycling has increased greatly.
However, at present, there are only 45 fixed recycling centres in the Green Area, with an average of about 170,000 people sharing a recycling point. Some of them are far from residential areas or are only serving during the day, which is not enough to meet the huge recycling demand.
The Government should, as soon as possible, expand the number and coverage of "Green in the District" collection points, and strengthen the collection service at night and on holidays to facilitate public use.
A three-pronged approach to finding best practices from practice to a zero-waste future
To achieve the interim goal of reducing the amount of municipal solid waste per capita by 40% to 45% and increasing the recycling rate to about 55%, Hong Kong must promote waste reduction and clean recycling through waste levies and the upgrading of recycling facilities, in addition to developing waste-to-energy facilities to deal with municipal solid waste.
If properly organized, the three can actually complement each other. Hong Kong can implement a waste treatment system with recycling and waste reduction as its core, and use waste conversion as an energy facility to treat waste that cannot be recycled.
A zero-waste future is not a one-off process, but rather a step-by-step process and constant revision in order to find the most appropriate local approach.
In order to make the public and the industry more aware of the levy scheme, the Government has postponed the scheme until August. Although there are still many questions about the waste levy, some people have criticized the guidelines for not being clear, and some people are worried about the increase of waste in the natural environment.
The Hong Kong Government should seize the opportunity to communicate directly with all sectors of the community to continuously publicize and implement public education to the public and the industrial and commercial sectors, especially the households of the three no buildings and ethnic minorities who currently lack support, so that the public can understand the reasons for the waste levy, the implementation details and the supporting measures; and on the other hand, understand the difficulties that front-line personnel in the cleaning and recycling industry may face.
In addition, the Government should seize the time to build supporting facilities as soon as possible to facilitate waste collection, sorting, recycling and conversion, so that the public can establish a recycling culture, and at the same time promote the sustainable development of the recycling industry and promote a circular economy.
In addition, although Hong Kong has implemented tricolor recycling measures for many years, the effectiveness of the measures has been questioned, and there are reports that some recyclables are eventually sent to landfills, which has dampened the public's willingness to recycle.
To reassure the public, the waste levy should establish a review mechanism to regularly announce the effectiveness of waste reduction and recycling, so that all sectors of the community can understand the benefits of implementing a waste treatment system, and help the government to improve policies and related measures to move towards a zero-waste future.
The author, Yang Jingwen, is the operations manager of the Sihui Policy Institute.
The article is only the opinion of the author and does not represent the position of Hong Kong 01.
Please email us at 01view @ hk01.com.
Please attach the author ’ s real name and contact details.
If not applicable, no notice will be given.

The implementation of waste charging is seen as a cornerstone of the promotion of waste reduction and recycling, with many regions increasing recycling to reduce the amount of waste.

For example, in Korea, urban solid waste charging has been implemented since 1995, resulting in a significant reduction in waste disposal and an increase in the recovery rate.

Overall, countries like Japan, South Korea, and Singapore have developed effective waste sorting and recycling systems, with a combination of government policies, public education, and infrastructure development [1] [3].

These countries have demonstrated that with a gradual and tailored approach, it is possible to achieve significant reductions in waste disposal and increases in recycling rates [1] [3].

As the world continues to grapple with the challenges of waste management, it is essential to learn from the experiences of these countries and implement effective waste sorting and recycling practices [1] [3].


Brittney Griner, a professional American basketball player, was detained in Russia in 2022 for marijuana possession, sparking a high-stakes geopolitical struggle.

She was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport on February 17th, after vape cartridges containing hashish oil were found in her luggage, and was later sentenced to nine years in a penal colony.

The US government contended that she was among several Americans who had been "wrongfully detained" by Russia, used as bargaining chips in the increasingly hostile relationship between Moscow and Washington.

Griner's plight as an unwitting pawn in a high-stakes geopolitical struggle came to an abrupt end when she was exchanged for the Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout as part of a prisoner swap.

The deal was met with jubilation from Griner's family and supporters, but also drew criticism and raised questions about how America's adversaries might leverage arrests of its citizens in the future.

US officials began working towards Griner's release as soon as she was apprehended in Russia in February, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressing Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to accept a "substantial proposal" to release Griner and another American, Paul Whelan.

Griner's experiences in the Russian penitentiary system were marked by trauma and uncertainty, with her writing an open letter to President Biden, expressing her fear of being imprisoned forever.

The American government's efforts to free Griner were ultimately successful, with President Biden confirming that he had spoken with Griner by phone and that she was in good spirits after her release.

Griner's adjustment to life back at home after her release is not well-documented, but it is likely that she will face significant challenges in readjusting to life in the US after her traumatic experiences in Russia.

Brittney Griner, a professional American basketball player, was detained in Russia in 2022 for marijuana possession, sparking a high-stakes geopolitical struggle.

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Inside Joe Biden’s Faustian pact with Russia to secure Brittney

Three weeks ago, the American basketball star Brittney Griner arrived at a Russian penal colony known for torture, beatings and slave labour to begin a nine-year sentence following her arrest at a Moscow airport in February for possession of vaping cartridges containing hashish oil.

But in a stunning twist on Thursday, Griner’s plight as an unwitting pawn in a high-stakes geopolitical struggle came to an abrupt end, as she arrived in Abu Dhabi from Moscow and boarded a plane home to reunite with her family. She landed in San Antonio, Texas, early Friday morning.

In exchange for Griner’s release, the US released Viktor Bout, a notorious arms trafficker who was serving a 25-year sentence for conspiring to kill US citizens and aiding a terrorist organisation.

The deal was met with jubilation from Griner’s family and supporters. But the controversial swap for Bout — as well as the exclusion of Paul Whelan, another US citizen imprisoned in Russia — also drew criticism and raised questions about how America’s adversaries might leverage arrests of its citizens in the future.

US officials began working toward Griner’s release as soon as she was apprehended in Russia in February, but the effort became more concentrated on prisoner swap negotiations once the State Department declared in May that she had been wrongfully detained.

In July, US secretary of state Antony Blinken and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov spoke on the phone for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. During the call, Blinken pressed Lavrov to accept a “substantial proposal” from Washington to release Griner and the former marine Whelan, who has been detained in Russia since 2018 on what the US and his family say are trumped-up espionage charges.

Americans had offered to free Bout, people familiar with the discussions said, but the Russians said they also wanted the release of Vadim Krasikov, a former colonel from Russia’s domestic spy agency who was convicted of murder in Germany last year.

In the ensuing months, officials said, Washington made a number of offers to Russia in an attempt to secure the release of Griner and Whelan.

However, Biden administration officials said that in recent weeks it became clear that Moscow would only accept a one-for-one swap. According to one senior administration official, “the choice was bringing Brittney Griner home right now or bringing no Americans home from Russia right now”.

Despite the Biden administration’s insistence that they had no choice but to exclude Whelan from the deal, Republican lawmakers and others denounced the decision, as well as facilitating the release of Bout, who is also known as “the merchant of death”.

“The Biden administration has allowed Viktor Bout, a dangerous arms dealer who was convicted of conspiring to kill American law enforcement, to walk free,” said Mike Rogers, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee.

“This move to appease Vladimir Putin will only encourage further hostage taking by Russian security forces,” he added.

US officials described Biden’s choice as a painful one, adding that they would continue to work for Whelan’s release. Washington previously secured the release of Trevor Reed, another former marine, via a prisoner swap in April.

People familiar with Thursday’s prisoner exchange likened the episode to “a scene from the Cold War”, with Russian and American planes meeting on the tarmac at an airport in Abu Dhabi.

The Russian plane carrying Griner arrived first, one of the people said. American officials and people familiar with the events said the basketball star was upbeat on the tarmac, saying she was looking forward to returning home.

The Griner-Bout swap marks a rare instance in which the US and Russia have been able to find common ground since Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, sending the west’s relationship with Moscow to its lowest ebb since the Cuban missile crisis.

According to people familiar with the matter, the Americans and Russians directly negotiated the details of the swaps, with UAE officials including president Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan helping to facilitate the mechanics of the transfer.

It is not unusual for third countries to aid in brokering international diplomatic agreements such as prisoner swaps between hostile countries.

Sheikh Mohammed and Putin discussed the matter when they met in Russia in October, and they spoke on the phone on Wednesday, people familiar with the meetings said. Yousef al-Otaiba, UAE ambassador to the US, was present for the exchange on Thursday and had helped to co-ordinate details on the American side.

On Thursday, some pro-Kremlin commentators hailed the swap as a return to diplomacy. “Everyone sees through this exchange that Moscow and Washington are holding secret negotiations and can make a deal,” Sergei Markov, a political scientist and former member of Russia’s parliament, wrote on Telegram. “And everyone hopes that means Moscow and Washington can make a deal to end the war in Ukraine.”

However, analysts and US officials said that while the breakthrough was a sign that the two sides could get things done when their interests align, it was not evidence of any larger thaw in relations. Biden administration officials added that the recent conversations with Russia about Griner and other prisoners were limited to the release of wrongfully detained Americans.

“The exchange doesn’t do anything to change the situation for bilateral relations. There are lots of issues where they are in open confrontation,” said Alexander Gabuev, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

He said the otherwise dire state of relations between Russia and the west was thrown into sharp relief last week, when Moscow abruptly pulled out of talks on renewing the New Start treaty, the only remaining agreement governing the countries’ nuclear arsenals.

“This is a global stability issue: the last remainders of arms control are falling apart, which could lead to an arms race and a higher risk of dangerous incidents,” he said. “The trajectory we’re on is making that all the more likely.”

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She was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport on February 17th, after vape cartridges containing hashish oil were found in her luggage, and was later sentenced to nine years in a penal colony.

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Russian court sentences Brittney Griner to 9 years, raising pressure on Biden

A Russian court Thursday sentenced U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner to nine years in a penal colony after convicting her on a drug charge, a harsh penalty that keeps her fate entwined with the geopolitical showdown over the war in Ukraine and ramps up already intense pressure on President Joe Biden to win her release.

The U.S. government contends that she is among several Americans who have been “wrongfully detained” by Russia, used as bargaining chips in the increasingly hostile relationship between Moscow and Washington. The Biden administration has offered a prisoner swap involving Griner, but Russian officials said it was premature to discuss a deal while her case was underway.

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Now that the trial is concluded, Biden faces a difficult choice between standing firm on his proposal to trade for Griner and another American, Paul Whelan, or sweetening the offer somehow, with either position liable to draw domestic criticism.

Meanwhile the Kremlin can use them as leverage, with no incentive to resolve the cases quickly. Griner’s supporters, voicing horror at the verdict and sentence, are clamoring for the president to do something, while the administration is wary of giving in to Russian tactics it has all but labeled blackmail.

“My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible,” Biden said in a statement after the verdict.

Griner, 31, one of her sport’s biggest global stars, sat mostly expressionless, eyes downcast, leaning her long frame toward the bars of the defendant’s box in a cramped courtroom outside Moscow to hear as the words of the judge, Anna Sotnikova, were quietly translated for her. She had already pleaded guilty, and conviction is all but certain in Russian courts, so the verdict was a foregone conclusion; the real question was about sentencing.

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The answer was devastating. The sentence was near the 10-year maximum for her conviction for attempting to smuggle narcotics into the country, based on two vape cartridges containing hashish oil found in Griner’s luggage when she arrived in February, a week before President Vladimir Putin sent Russian forces to Ukraine.

She and her legal team had hoped for a more lenient penalty based on her guilty plea, her statement that she had not meant to take the cartridges to Russia, and testimony that she used the substance legally in the United States to manage pain.

“I made an honest mistake, and I hope that in your ruling that it doesn’t end my life here,” she said before the sentencing.

She told the court that while she took responsibility for her actions, “I had no intent to break Russian law.” She said that after recovering from a bout of COVID, she had packed hurriedly to rejoin the Russian team she plays for in the WNBA offseason, and had accidentally left the cartridges in her luggage.

Griner’s defense team called the ruling “absolutely unreasonable,” said the court had “completely ignored all the evidence of the defense, and most importantly, the guilty plea,” and vowed to appeal. Elizabeth Rood, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, attended the court session and called the result “a miscarriage of justice.”

Russian officials have insisted that Griner’s case is simply the justice system running its course, with no political overtones — a claim that their U.S. counterparts and many Western analysts dismissed as absurd.

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William Pomeranz, a Russia expert and acting director of the Kennan Institute, a research group in Washington, noted that Griner was sentenced not to a prison but to a penal colony, which tends to mean a more remote location — many are in Siberia — and harsher conditions.

“She’s probably going to go to a penal colony that’s in the middle of Russia where she won’t know anybody,” he added. “They won’t be able to come and visit. Penal colonies can sometimes be very severe. It will be a tremendous test of her mental state if she ends up going to a penal colony.”

The United States has few options, he said. “It will just depend on the Russians and how fast they want to make a deal.”

Fellow basketball players, male and female, and basketball executives took to social media to voice support for Griner and grief at the verdict. Griner’s team, the Phoenix Mercury, said in a statement: “We remain heartbroken for her, as we have every day for nearly six months. We remain grateful to and confident in the public servants working every day to return her to her family and us.”

With Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the indiscriminate destruction it has caused, relations between Washington and Moscow are more confrontational and bitter than they have been in decades. The United States has rallied the West to send arms and other aid to Ukraine, and to punish Moscow with economic sanctions, looking for opportunities to ratchet up the pressure.

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The two sides have made prisoner exchanges before, most recently in April, when Russia released Trevor Reed, an American held on what his family said was a bogus assault charge, in return for a Russian pilot convicted in the United States of cocaine trafficking charges. But rarely have proposed swaps come amid such tension, or involved anyone as prominent as Griner.

In a sign of how high the stakes are for Washington, Griner’s fate was among the topics discussed last Friday by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, in their first direct conversation since before the invasion.

The Biden administration has offered to trade Griner and Whelan for Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year sentence for a 2011 conviction on a federal charge of conspiring to sell weapons to people posing as terrorists intent on killing Americans. Whelan, detained in Russia since 2018, was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years.

Russia made an unspecified “bad faith” counteroffer, the White House said Monday, which U.S. officials said they did not consider serious.

John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council, told reporters Thursday, “I don’t think it would be helpful to Brittney or to Paul for us to talk more publicly about where we are in the talks and what the president might or might not be willing to do.”

“Conversations are ongoing at various levels,” he added.

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If Biden sticks to his initial offer, he could face accusations of not doing enough.

Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, and other supporters have mounted an effective public campaign to pressure the president to win her release. Supporters worry about her treatment in a country where anti-American and anti-gay vitriol are deeply embedded in popular views and official propaganda. Images of a grim-faced Griner being led, handcuffed, in and out of court, towering over her armed guards, have become commonplace in U.S. and international media.

The administration could make a more attractive offer, but U.S. officials already worry that deals for prisoners could encourage hostile foreign governments to detain Americans on trumped-up charges in exchange for concessions like freeing their own wrongdoers. Some Republicans have already complained that Biden’s existing offer creates such an incentive.

A 6-foot-9 center, Griner won a college national championship with Baylor in 2012, a WNBA championship with the Mercury in 2014, Olympic gold medals with the U.S. team at the 2016 and 2020 games, and four EuroLeague championships with the Russian team UMMC Yekaterinburg. Like many players in the WNBA, where salaries are much lower than in the NBA, Griner — who also played one season for a professional team in China — has played overseas to supplement her income.

The US government contended that she was among several Americans who had been "wrongfully detained" by Russia, used as bargaining chips in the increasingly hostile relationship between Moscow and Washington.

Griner's plight as an unwitting pawn in a high-stakes geopolitical struggle came to an abrupt end when she was exchanged for the Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout as part of a prisoner swap.

The deal was met with jubilation from Griner's family and supporters, but also drew criticism and raised questions about how America's adversaries might leverage arrests of its citizens in the future.

US officials began working towards Griner's release as soon as she was apprehended in Russia in February, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressing Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to accept a "substantial proposal" to release Griner and another American, Paul Whelan.

Griner's experiences in the Russian penitentiary system were marked by trauma and uncertainty, with her writing an open letter to President Biden, expressing her fear of being imprisoned forever.

Title:

Content: The open letter to President Biden, written by hand and released on the Fourth of July, tore at the heart. This is the unfortunate plight of Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner, wrongfully detained for 143 days and counting in a godforsaken gulag 6,000 miles from home.

“As I sit here in a Russian prison,” Griner wrote, “alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever.” She went on to beseech Biden: “I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American Detainees. Please do all you can to bring us home.”

We have been told by the White House press secretary that Biden has read the letter. We also have been told his Administration will “use every tool we possibly can” to bring Griner home. I hope so, because Russian news reports have said Griner, arrested on Feb. 17th, faces up to 10 years in prison for allegedly having .702 grams of hash oil in two vape cartridges in her luggage. She pleaded guilty to drug charges on July 7.

Biden and the U.S. State Department should use every tool in America’s toolbox to secure Griner’s release – exactly as he should on behalf of the more than 60 Americans currently held hostage in foreign countries.

Like Paul Whelan, a former Marine wrongfully detained in Russia since 2018. Like “the Citgo 6,” petroleum executives wrongfully held in Venezuela since 2017. And like Alina Lopez-Miyares, wrongfully locked up in a Cuban prison since January 2017.

In a more just world, we would care about all these Americans with the same vigor and at the same loud volume. The truth? As a culture, we have a limited attention span, a finite amount of compassion we spend in dollops – a sprinkling for the homeless here, a few spoonsful for the struggling poor there, and a drip or two for Brittney Griner.

Is that right? I don’t think so. I wish

we had an endless reserve of compassion, enough to go around in the right proportions.

Even so, I disagree wholeheartedly with Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard, who took dead aim at America in comments supporting Griner last week.

“If it was LeBron, he’d be home, right?” Nygaard declared. “It’s a statement about the value of women. It’s a statement about the value of a black person. It’s a statement about the value of a gay person. All of those. We know it.”

Actually, it’s a statement about how little we pay attention to wrongful detainees and their suffering. Virtually no one save the families of the imprisoned has made a peep about wrongfully imprisoned Americans anywhere, about Whelan, the Citgo 6, or Lopez-Miyares. This silence has nothing to do with race, gender, or who someone loves. It has everything to do with our culture’s capacity to empathize.

Nygaard seems to think if Griner was male, white and straight, America would be threatening nuclear war. Reality says otherwise. Nygaard is correct about one thing, though. If Lebron James was wrongfully imprisoned, Americans would be rioting in the streets.

That has everything to do with celebrity, which is the only reason you have heard about Brittney Griner’s case at all. If Griner couldn’t dribble, couldn’t dunk, wasn’t a six-time WBNA All-Star, her imprisonment would be occurring in silence.

Nygaard is dead wrong about for whom we care and why. We reserve the greatest compassion for the most famous among us – that is a perverted truth about the American way.

I hope Brittney Griner comes home soon. And I hope we bring every other wrongfully detained American home with her.

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The American government's efforts to free Griner were ultimately successful, with President Biden confirming that he had spoken with Griner by phone and that she was in good spirits after her release.

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Content: Brittney Griner freed from Russian prison in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout

The US and Russia have exchanged jailed US basketball star Brittney Griner for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, once nicknamed “the Merchant of Death,” officials said.

The swap was confirmed by US officials with direct knowledge of the negotiations ahead of an expected White House announcement, the Associated Press reports.

Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist whose months-long imprisonment on drug charges brought unprecedented attention to the population of wrongful detainees.

She was arrested in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after vape canisters containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage - but she maintained it was an honest mistake.

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris confirmed on Thursday morning they had already spoken by phone with Griner and she is said to have been in good spirits.

In a celebratory tweet, Mr Biden said Griner, a native of Houston, Texas, is on a plane home and is safe.

The Russian foreign ministry said it traded Griner for Russian citizen Viktor Bout, a former Soviet Army lieutenant colonel whom the US Justice Department once described as one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers.

Bout, whose exploits inspired a Hollywood movie, was serving a 25-year sentence on charges that he conspired to sell tens of millions of dollars in weapons that US officials said were to be used against Americans.

The deal, the second such exchange in eight months with Russia, procured the release of the most prominent American detained abroad.

The dramatic high-level prisoner exchange, however, did not include the release of Paul Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive jailed in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges.

Mr Whelan's family and the US government say the accusations against him are baseless. He was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison.

Griner pleaded guilty in July, though still faced trial because admitting guilt in Russia’s judicial system does not automatically end a case. She acknowledged in court she possessed the canisters, but said she had no criminal intent and said their presence in her luggage was due to hasty packing.

Her status as an openly gay Black woman, locked up in a country where authorities have been hostile to the LBGTQ community, infused racial and gender dynamics into the picture and made each development a matter of global importance.

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Griner's adjustment to life back at home after her release is not well-documented, but it is likely that she will face significant challenges in readjusting to life in the US after her traumatic experiences in Russia.


The story of Brittney Griner, a professional American basketball player, has garnered significant attention in recent times due to her detention in Russia in 2022 for marijuana possession.

Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February 2022 for possessing cannabis oil and was subsequently sent to a penal colony.

The US and Russia have exchanged US basketball star Brittney Griner for arms dealer Viktor Bout in a prison swap, with the arms dealer having been held in an American prison for 12 years.

As part of the prisoner exchange, US President Joe Biden signed the order to release Bout, commuting his 25-year jail term.

Griner's arrest and detention have been widely reported, with many organizations, including women's and LGBTQ groups, pressing President Biden to step up efforts to secure her release.

The Russian government has denied that Griner is being held as a political pawn, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating that "the facts are that the famous athlete was detained in possession of prohibited medication containing narcotic substances".

However, many have speculated that Griner's detention is indeed politically motivated, given the current tensions between the US and Russia.

Griner's experiences in the Russian penitentiary system have been marked by fear and uncertainty, with her writing a handwritten letter to President Biden urging him not to forget about her and other American detainees.

In the letter, Griner expressed her fear of being detained in Russia forever and pleaded with President Biden to do everything possible to bring her home.

The US government has made efforts to free Griner, with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris speaking with her by phone after her release.

The prisoner swap that led to Griner's release has been seen as a significant diplomatic achievement, with President Biden tweeting that Griner is "in good spirits" and "on her way home".

Griner's release has also been welcomed by her family and supporters, who have expressed relief and gratitude that she is finally back home.

However, the swap has also raised questions about the political implications of Griner's arrest and detention, with some arguing that it highlights the need for greater diplomatic efforts to secure the release of American citizens detained abroad.

The swap has also been seen as a significant concession by the US government, with some arguing that it sets a bad precedent for future prisoner swaps.

Despite these concerns, Griner's release has been widely celebrated, with many seeing it as a major victory for the US government and a testament to the power of diplomatic efforts.

Griner's adjustment to life back at home after her release has been marked by a mix of emotions, with her expressing gratitude and relief at being back with her loved ones.

However, the experience of being detained in a Russian prison has likely had a profound impact on Griner, and it remains to be seen how she will adjust to life back in the US.

In the aftermath of her release, Griner has urged President Biden to do more to secure the release of other American detainees, including Paul Whelan, who has been detained in Russia since 2018.

Whelan's case has been seen as a priority for the US government, with many arguing that he is being held unjustly and that diplomatic efforts should be made to secure his release.

The case of Brittney Griner highlights the complex and often fraught nature of international diplomacy, particularly when it comes to the detention of American citizens abroad.

It also underscores the need for greater awareness and understanding of the experiences of American detainees, and the importance of diplomatic efforts to secure their release.

In conclusion, the story of Brittney Griner is a complex and multifaceted one, marked by fear, uncertainty, and ultimately, relief and gratitude.

The political implications of her arrest and detention are still being debated, and it remains to be seen how her experience will shape her life and career in the years to come.

However, one thing is clear: the release of Brittney Griner is a significant achievement, and a testament to the power of diplomatic efforts to secure the release of American citizens detained abroad.

The story of Brittney Griner, a professional American basketball player, has garnered significant attention in recent times due to her detention in Russia in 2022 for marijuana possession.

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Content: Global RiskNews Briefs

Russia frees US basketball star in swap with arms dealer Bout

The US and Russia have exchanged US basketball star Brittney Griner for arms dealer Viktor Bout in a prison swap. The arms dealer had been held in an American prison for 12 years. Brittney Griner is on a plane back to the United States.

Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February for possessing cannabis oil and was sent to a penal colony last month. A prisoner exchange was proposed by the US in July. As part of the prisoner exchange, US President Joe Biden signed the order to release Bout, commuting his 25 year jail term.

Read More: Russia frees US basketball star in swap with arms dealer Bout

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Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February 2022 for possessing cannabis oil and was subsequently sent to a penal colony.

The US and Russia have exchanged US basketball star Brittney Griner for arms dealer Viktor Bout in a prison swap, with the arms dealer having been held in an American prison for 12 years.

As part of the prisoner exchange, US President Joe Biden signed the order to release Bout, commuting his 25-year jail term.

Griner's arrest and detention have been widely reported, with many organizations, including women's and LGBTQ groups, pressing President Biden to step up efforts to secure her release.

Title:

Content: - The Washington Times - Friday, July 1, 2022

As pressure mounts on President Biden to take more aggressive action to get Moscow to release jailed WNBA star Brittney Griner, the international chatter increasing points to a prisoner swap for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Russian media and Bout’s lawyer, Steve Zissou, say Russian officials want to secure Bout’s release and that Griner, who has been locked up in Russia since February, could be part of a deal.

“I would be surprised if any American was repatriated without Viktor Bout also being sent home to his family,” Zissou told The Washington Times.

Bout is serving a 25-year sentence in federal prison. He was convicted of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens, delivering anti-aircraft missiles, and providing aid to a terrorist organization, charges his lawyer disputes.

Another detained American, former Marine Paul Whelan, who was arrested in Russia on espionage charges in 2018, could also be part of a prisoner swap for Bout.

Mr. Zissou said the deal would likely have to include Bout. The lawyer met last month with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, who said that freeing Bout “was Russia’s number one priority,” according to Mr. Zissou.

Griner, meanwhile, made her first appearance in court on Friday and was accused of possessing “a significant amount of cannabis oil,” which is a banned substance in Russia. She faces likely conviction and a decade in prison when her trial resumes on July 7.

Griner, 31, was arrested at the airport in Moscow on Feb. 17 for allegedly carrying vape cartridges with hashish oil. She was visiting the country to play for a Russian basketball team after the conclusion of the WNBA season.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Griner is being held as a political pawn, The Associated Press reported.

“The facts are that the famous athlete was detained in possession of prohibited medication containing narcotic substances,” Peskov told reporters on Friday. “In view of what I’ve said, it can’t be politically motivated.”

Still, Russia’s desire to free Bout complicates matters for Mr. Biden, who is weathering intense criticism for failing to secure the release of Griner, a center for the Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Dozens of organizations, including women’s and LGBTQ groups, have pressed Mr. Biden to step up efforts to secure Griner’s release. They called on the president “to make a deal to get Brittney back home to America immediately and safely.”

While Bout’s lawyer disputes the charges against him, Bout was convicted of far more serious crimes than Griner’s drug charge, which could make it difficult for the Biden administration to agree to a swap.

Griner’s high-profile detainment comes at a historically difficult point in the diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and Russia. Griner was arrested just days before Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to invade Ukraine on February 24.

The U.S. has condemned the invasion and responded by providing Ukraine with weapons and other support to defend itself from Mr. Putin’s forces.

With Griner in detention, Russian officials are now intensifying efforts to secure the release of Bout, whose targeting and conviction by the United States has long been viewed as an attack on Russian sovereignty.

Russian media is reporting that a swap for Bout is on the table.

“Currently, talks are underway on exchanging Bout for Griner,” Tass news reported, citing an unnamed Russian source.

Nicknamed the “Merchant of Death,” Bout was convicted in 2011 in a U.S. government sting operation of planning to smuggle arms to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The witnesses hired to portray FARC told Bout the arms would be used to target U.S. military serving in Colombia.

Bout, 55, is about five years from completing his sentence and is in failing health, his lawyer said.

Mr. Zissou said he is trying to elevate the circumstances surrounding his client’s case to improve his appeal as a candidate for a prisoner swap.

The U.S. targeted Bout while he was living in Moscow and retired from running an air transport company that also smuggled arms from one country to another.

The U.S. government paid more than $10 million to criminals as part of the operation to catch Bout.

“Entrapment is exactly what happened,” Mr. Zissou said.

Mr. Zissou said exchanging Griner for Bout is “a no brainer,” because his client will be freed in a few years regardless.

Last week, Russian officials extended Griner’s pretrial detention by six months. With Russia’s acquittal rate in criminal cases at less than 1%, it’s unlikely she will be able to return to the U.S. without a prisoner exchange.

Pressure is also on Mr. Biden to also secure the release of Mr. Whelan, 52, who is serving a 16-year sentence in a Russian prison camp.

“It’s certainly conceivable that a swap for Whelan and Bout gets agreed to, and then at the end of Griner’s trial, if she’s convicted, she just gets pardoned and sent home,” Mr. Zissou said.

In a statement provided to The Times, the State Department declined to provide details about the talks to free Griner.

“We have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” a State Department spokesman said. “The Department of State has determined that the Russian Federation has wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Brittney Griner. The U.S. government will continue to provide appropriate support to Griner and her family. We will continue to press for her release.”

• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.

Copyright © 2022 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

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The Russian government has denied that Griner is being held as a political pawn, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating that "the facts are that the famous athlete was detained in possession of prohibited medication containing narcotic substances".

However, many have speculated that Griner's detention is indeed politically motivated, given the current tensions between the US and Russia.

Griner's experiences in the Russian penitentiary system have been marked by fear and uncertainty, with her writing a handwritten letter to President Biden urging him not to forget about her and other American detainees.

Title:

Content: Brittney Griner Urges Biden, 'Don't Forget About Me', in Handwritten Letter.

Brittney Griner Urges Biden, 'Don't Forget About Me', in Handwritten Letter.

The handwritten letter penned by the Phoenix Mercury star was received at the White House in July 4.

I realize you are dealing with so much, Brittney Griner, Letter to President Biden, via CNN.

But please don't forget about me and the other American detainees.

Please do all you can to bring us home, Brittney Griner, Letter to President Biden, via CNN.

Griner has been detained in Russia since February after cannabis oil was allegedly discovered in her luggage.

Her trial for the offense began last week.

Griner also described the fear and pain she is experiencing by being detained in Russia.

I'm terrified I might be here forever, Brittney Griner, Letter to President Biden, via CNN.

On the 4th of July, our family normally honors the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War Veteran.

, Brittney Griner, Letter to President Biden, via CNN.

It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year, Brittney Griner, Letter to President Biden, via CNN.

I believe in you.

I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore, Brittney Griner, Letter to President Biden, via CNN.

A spokesperson for the National Security Council stated July 4 the U.S. position that "the Russian Federation is wrongfully detaining Brittney Griner.".

President Biden has been clear about the need to see all U.S. nationals who are held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad released, including Brittney Griner.

, Adrienne Watson, National Security Council Spokesperson, via CNN.

The U.S. government continues to work aggressively – using every available means — to bring her home, Adrienne Watson, National Security Council Spokesperson, via CNN.

The President's team is in regular contact with Brittney's family and we will continue to work to support her family, Adrienne Watson, National Security Council Spokesperson, via CNN

In the letter, Griner expressed her fear of being detained in Russia forever and pleaded with President Biden to do everything possible to bring her home.

The US government has made efforts to free Griner, with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris speaking with her by phone after her release.

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Content: Brittney Griner freed from Russian prison in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout

The US and Russia have exchanged jailed US basketball star Brittney Griner for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, once nicknamed “the Merchant of Death,” officials said.

The swap was confirmed by US officials with direct knowledge of the negotiations ahead of an expected White House announcement, the Associated Press reports.

Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist whose months-long imprisonment on drug charges brought unprecedented attention to the population of wrongful detainees.

She was arrested in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after vape canisters containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage - but she maintained it was an honest mistake.

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris confirmed on Thursday morning they had already spoken by phone with Griner and she is said to have been in good spirits.

In a celebratory tweet, Mr Biden said Griner, a native of Houston, Texas, is on a plane home and is safe.

The Russian foreign ministry said it traded Griner for Russian citizen Viktor Bout, a former Soviet Army lieutenant colonel whom the US Justice Department once described as one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers.

Bout, whose exploits inspired a Hollywood movie, was serving a 25-year sentence on charges that he conspired to sell tens of millions of dollars in weapons that US officials said were to be used against Americans.

The deal, the second such exchange in eight months with Russia, procured the release of the most prominent American detained abroad.

The dramatic high-level prisoner exchange, however, did not include the release of Paul Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive jailed in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges.

Mr Whelan's family and the US government say the accusations against him are baseless. He was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison.

Griner pleaded guilty in July, though still faced trial because admitting guilt in Russia’s judicial system does not automatically end a case. She acknowledged in court she possessed the canisters, but said she had no criminal intent and said their presence in her luggage was due to hasty packing.

Her status as an openly gay Black woman, locked up in a country where authorities have been hostile to the LBGTQ community, infused racial and gender dynamics into the picture and made each development a matter of global importance.

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The prisoner swap that led to Griner's release has been seen as a significant diplomatic achievement, with President Biden tweeting that Griner is "in good spirits" and "on her way home".

Griner's release has also been welcomed by her family and supporters, who have expressed relief and gratitude that she is finally back home.

However, the swap has also raised questions about the political implications of Griner's arrest and detention, with some arguing that it highlights the need for greater diplomatic efforts to secure the release of American citizens detained abroad.

The swap has also been seen as a significant concession by the US government, with some arguing that it sets a bad precedent for future prisoner swaps.

Despite these concerns, Griner's release has been widely celebrated, with many seeing it as a major victory for the US government and a testament to the power of diplomatic efforts.

Griner's adjustment to life back at home after her release has been marked by a mix of emotions, with her expressing gratitude and relief at being back with her loved ones.

However, the experience of being detained in a Russian prison has likely had a profound impact on Griner, and it remains to be seen how she will adjust to life back in the US.

In the aftermath of her release, Griner has urged President Biden to do more to secure the release of other American detainees, including Paul Whelan, who has been detained in Russia since 2018.

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Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to travel to Moscow for talks on freeing Brittney Griner: Source

Posted at 6:53 AM, Jul 10, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-10 09:53:42-04

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is planning to travel to Russia in the near future for talks aimed at finding a deal to free the detained WNBA star Brittney Griner, a source with knowledge of the proposed trip told ABC News.

Richardson, who also served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and energy secretary in the Clinton administration, played a role in achieving a prisoner exchange in April that saw Russia release former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed after nearly two and a half years in captivity.

He is expected to go to Moscow in the next couple of weeks, according to the source, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Russia has repeatedly suggested it's interested in trading Griner for Russians held in U.S. prisons. The new trip appears aimed at seeing if a similar deal to the one that freed Reed could be produced for Griner.

Richardson’s office did not confirm the potential visit, telling ABC News “we are unable to comment on this at the moment.”

“What I can say (and is publicly known) is both the Whelan and Griner families have asked us to help with the release of their loved ones,” Mickey Bergman, executive director at the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, told ABC News in an email.

Richardson is currently representing the Griner family as well as the family of Paul Whelan, the other former Marine held by Russia for three and a half years.

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in basketball, has been in detention in Russia since mid-February after she was stopped at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport and accused by Russian authorities of having vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage.

This week, Griner told a Moscow court she would like to plead guilty to the charges, saying she had brought the vape cartridges into Russia unintentionally, explaining she had not meant to leave them in her bag.

The Biden administration has classified Griner as “wrongfully detained” and American officials believe Russia seized her, like Whelan and Reed, to use as bargaining chips with the U.S.

Richardson’s possible trip comes amid speculation whether the U.S. would be willing to make another prisoner swap to free Griner. The Biden administration has said it is committed to negotiating with Russia for Griner’s release but it has refused to comment on whether it is considering any trade.

Asked to comment on Richardson's potential visit, the White House National Security Council told ABC it was in contact with Richardson and valued his efforts, but declined to say more.

“NSC leadership are in touch with Bill Richardson. We appreciate his commitment to getting Americans home and are pursuing the release of Brittney and Paul through government channels,” NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, said she had requested Richardson's team's help and would support a trip if it took place.

“We asked the Richardson Center to help and I’m encouraged that he might be going,” Cherelle Griner said in a statement to ABC through Griner’s agent Lindsay Colas.

Richardson has a long history of working to free Americans wrongfully detained overseas. Through his nonprofit, the Richardson Center, he has helped return U.S. citizens imprisoned in Iran and North Korea among others.

His team represented Trevor Reed’s family and spent months engaged in shuttle diplomacy trying to outline a possible deal to free him.

Richardson even flew to Moscow on the eve of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in a last ditch effort to persuade Russia to make a trade.

Richardson does not represent the White House. In Reed’s case, he approached Russia’s government and the Biden administration separately to try to feel out what both sides might accept as any possible deal. He then relayed what he had heard back to both sides.

In the end, the prisoner trade the White House made for Reed was the same one Richardson had been advocating for: releasing Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot serving a U.S. prison sentence for drug smuggling.

Richardson has since encouraged the Biden administration to consider making similar deals for Griner and Paul Whelan.

Following Griner’s court appearance on Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said it was "going to do everything that we can to bring home Brittney Griner safely, and to also make sure that we bring Paul Whelan back home as well." Jean-Pierre said Griner's guilty plea would have "no impact" on the efforts to negotiate her release.

Russian state media and officials have repeatedly floated trading Griner or Whelan for Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer, dubbed “the Merchant of Death” in the media and who is currently serving a 25 year sentence on narco-terrorism charges.

Trevor Reed and his family have called on the Biden administration to exchange Bout if it would free Whelan and Griner.

Speaking to ABC News this week, Reed urged President Joe Biden to do more.

"I hope that President Biden and his administration will do everything possible to get both, you know, Brittney and Paul out of Russia, and that they will do that immediately," he told ABC News. "Because every day that, you know, they sit here and wait to make a decision is one more day that, you know, Paul and Brittney are suffering."

Whelan's case has been seen as a priority for the US government, with many arguing that he is being held unjustly and that diplomatic efforts should be made to secure his release.

The case of Brittney Griner highlights the complex and often fraught nature of international diplomacy, particularly when it comes to the detention of American citizens abroad.

It also underscores the need for greater awareness and understanding of the experiences of American detainees, and the importance of diplomatic efforts to secure their release.

In conclusion, the story of Brittney Griner is a complex and multifaceted one, marked by fear, uncertainty, and ultimately, relief and gratitude.

The political implications of her arrest and detention are still being debated, and it remains to be seen how her experience will shape her life and career in the years to come.

However, one thing is clear: the release of Brittney Griner is a significant achievement, and a testament to the power of diplomatic efforts to secure the release of American citizens detained abroad.