Finland is a country that has successfully implemented a waste sorting and recycling system, with 99% of its municipal solid waste being recycled, and only 1% ending up in landfills.

The country's closed-loop system for waste management, which includes automated waste sorting and collection systems, has been instrumental in achieving this high recycling rate.

Finland's plastic recycling rate is around 22%, and the maximum recyclable plastic rate in the country is about 80%.

The country uses automated waste sorting and collection systems, with sensors in waste containers reporting when they are full and need emptying, and a pneumatic pipe system transporting waste directly to recycling plants.

Other countries, such as South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore, have also implemented successful waste management systems, with a focus on reducing waste sent to landfills and increasing recycling rates.

South Korea, for example, has a recycling rate of over 50% due to strict classification, and has introduced waste utilization measures for long-term management.

Taiwan has a recycling rate that rose from 20% to 60% after implementing a waste levy, and has a "Resource Recovery 4-in-1 Program" that mobilized government and industry roles to promote recycling.

Singapore has a well-organized waste management system, with a waste recycling rate that reached 51.7% in 2020, and aims to raise its recycling rate to 70% by 2030.

The government plays a crucial role in promoting and implementing waste sorting and recycling practices, with public education being key to successful waste sorting and recycling.

Gradual and tailored strategies are often used in waste disposal worldwide, and countries like Japan and Taiwan have developed a sense of garbage sorting through half a century of efforts.

The "polluter pays" principle is used in waste charging, where the cost of waste disposal is borne by the generator of the waste.

Implementing a waste levy can increase public incentives to recycle, and economic situation does not conflict with environmental levies.

The use of technology, such as robotic waste sorting systems, is becoming increasingly common in countries with successful waste sorting and recycling systems.

These systems can improve sorting precision and operational efficiency, and can help to increase recycling rates.

The European Union has set targets for recycling, with a goal of 55% recycling of municipal waste and 65% recycling of total packaging waste by 2025.

However, 18 EU Member States are at risk of missing waste targets, including Estonia, Finland, and Sweden, which are at risk of missing the municipal waste target.

The role of government is crucial in promoting and implementing waste sorting and recycling practices, through policies and regulations that support the development of recycling infrastructure.

Government support can include funding for recycling programs, education and awareness campaigns, and regulations that require the separation of waste.

The implementation of waste sorting and recycling systems can have significant environmental benefits, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving natural resources, and reducing waste sent to landfills.

The use of digital technologies, such as sensors and computer vision, can also improve the efficiency and accuracy of waste sorting and recycling systems.

The development of closed-loop systems for waste management, where materials are constantly cycled back into production, can also help to reduce waste and promote recycling.

Overall, countries with successful waste sorting and recycling systems use a combination of effective laws and regulations, education and awareness campaigns, and advanced technologies to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of their systems.

Finland is a country that has successfully implemented a waste sorting and recycling system, with 99% of its municipal solid waste being recycled, and only 1% ending up in landfills.

Title:

Content: Finland is the European leader in municipal solid waste recycling
Today, 11: 56 AM
Photo: vantaanenergia.fi
It took a little more than 20 years for Finland to almost completely abandon the landfill of solid municipal waste.
At the same time, giant landfills, even if they are closed, are not reclaimed here, in the Russian sense of the word, but turned into a source of income.
Currently, 99% of the country ’ s garbage is sorted and recycled.
Only 1% of the total amount of MSW produced has a chance to end up in a landfill.
One of the largest closed landfills is located in the satellite city of Helsinki – Espoo.
Its area is comparable to 280 football fields and is almost 200 hectares.
It is not surprising that after the closure, an industrial center was formed on its territory, in which enterprises for the generation of electricity and heat from landfill gas, as well as enterprises engaged in the processing of certain types of secondary raw materials (waste paper and glass) are concentrated.
In Ekpoo is the headquarters of the famous Finnish energy company Fortum.
It occupies a special place in the circular economy of waste.
In particular, it is engaged in the processing of plastic.
Up to 95% of the plastic in the waste generated by the Finns goes to its plant in another satellite city of Helsinki, Riihimäki.
Here, in automated production, plastic is sorted, cleaned, crushed and granulated.
According to experts, about 22 percent of all plastic waste is recycled in Finland.
The maximum percentage of plastic that can be recycled reaches about 80 percent, and they are striving to come to this figure in the coming years.
Non-recyclable plastic waste enters the furnace, where during combustion, heat is released, which, thanks to turbines and a water heating system, becomes electricity and hot water.
Containers without garbage trucks and five containers on chips
One often hears the astonished stories of relatives and friends living in St. Petersburg about how separate garbage collection is organized in Helsinki.
Visiting the Finnish capital in recent years has not been difficult.
Of course, a simple tourist is not up to landfills and thoughts about where and who takes waste, but there is something that will not remain without the attention of travelers.
A resident of St. Petersburg, Alexander often went on business trips to the capital of Finland, Helsinki.
He says that in some neighborhoods of the city there are containers that are not serviced by garbage trucks.
Our company for business trips often rented apartments, garbage from them had to be taken out by yourself.
You know, it is very unusual, not only to sort waste into five types (biomass, paper, mixed waste, cardboard and plastic), how much to understand that the containers are equipped with sensors that, when filled, report this to the waste control panel and the garbage is pumped out of the container via a pneumatic pipe, immediately getting to the recycling point.
Not everyone has access to such containers, but only residents of the microdistrict, since a special key-chip is needed to open it, - Alexander.
Such a waste sorting and collection system has been developed and implemented by the Finnish company Marimatic.
The technology is called MetroTaifun.
So far, it is only available in one suburb of the capital.
As its developers write, the entire system is automated, from each container its own pneumatic pipe delivers waste directly to the plant, where when raw materials arrive, its processing begins (additional sorting, grinding, pressing, etc.).
Perhaps, this will look like in the future the treatment of municipal waste in large megacities.
It's tomorrow's business.
What's today?
Large metropolis surrounded by recycling facilities
The peculiarity of the “garbage reform ” in Finland is that the country started it later than other European countries, so it could take advantage of other people ’ s experience and avoid mistakes.
The main thing on which the bet was made was to find ways to prevent waste from reaching landfills.
To do this, a separate collection of waste was introduced, which captured not only container sites and households, but also stores, as well as the manufacturers of goods themselves.
In cities, waste-free fast food and restaurants are not uncommon, hundreds of entrepreneurs find new niches for the use of secondary resources (for example, they produce fabrics from threads of previously used things), open second-hand and much more.
In almost every shopping center there are vending machines for receiving containers.
Around Helsinki, in its cities satellites built a network of sorting stations.
They specialize in certain types of waste.
All stations are located almost within the city limits.
Organic waste, which is usually the source of the garbage smell, is immediately taken to the plant for composting.
The whole process here is automated and produced in containers isolated from the environment.
Residents of neighboring high-rise buildings do not even think about what kind of object for sorting, recycling or recycling is located nearby.
The strict sanitary and environmental standards adopted in the country do not give any chance for environmental pollution.
Unsorted waste and so-called "tails" in the metropolitan area are taken to the incinerator in Vantaa.
There, the first incineration line was launched in 2014, the second in 2020.
The construction was not cheap - 300 million euros.
The plant is operated by Vantaan Energia.
Every day it receives up to 150 tons of waste.
According to the company on the website, the plant can burn up to 400 cubic meters of waste per second.
Every five seconds, he burns the annual volume of garbage produced by a Finnish family of three.
The German technology known as the Düsseldorf System is used here: the combustion temperature is about 1000 degrees Celsius, from the waste receiving bin it enters the rolls, where it is crushed and gradually lowered into the combustion chamber.
Thus, the filtration system eliminates harmful emissions.
Every year about 700 tons of various materials, mostly heavy metals, are extracted from flue gases and disposed of by Ekokem in Riihimäki (another suburb of Helsenki).
Slag is exported to the Emmassuo landfill, and gravel bottom slag is used in earthworks.
Now the company is testing a technology that allows the use of the ash formed.
The main difference from the German analogue - ignition is made by gas, not fuel oil.
The plant has built a bunker that allows you to store waste in reserve so that the technological process does not stop.
After all, the incinerator is also a thermal power plant, which produces 920 gigawatt hours of district heating per year, which is almost half of the needs of the city of Vantaa, and 600 gigawatt hours of electricity, which is 30% of the needs of Vantaa per year.
According to environmentalists, such production is more economical refers to resources, since fossil fuels are practically not used here.
The combined effect of producing such a volume of heat and electricity allows us to talk about a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 20%, compared with the fact that the TPP operated on traditional fuels.
The reasons for this success were commented by the co-chairman of the Green Shield environmental society, editor-in-chief of the Ural Meridian news agency Alexander Anikin.
The main distinguishing feature of Finnish reform is the correct emphasis.
Garbage was immediately considered as a source of energy.
Therefore, energy companies have joined the recycling process, which are used to being responsible for both the quality of services and environmental friendliness.
The tasks were immediately global - to sort and return to circulation secondary resources, as well as to prevent the simple storage of waste at landfills.
It is this approach that radically changed the industry, making it strategic from purely communal.
Innovation and technology can and should be adopted, as our northern neighbor does.
It ’ s also a lesson we need to learn.
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The country's closed-loop system for waste management, which includes automated waste sorting and collection systems, has been instrumental in achieving this high recycling rate.

Finland's plastic recycling rate is around 22%, and the maximum recyclable plastic rate in the country is about 80%.

The country uses automated waste sorting and collection systems, with sensors in waste containers reporting when they are full and need emptying, and a pneumatic pipe system transporting waste directly to recycling plants.

Other countries, such as South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore, have also implemented successful waste management systems, with a focus on reducing waste sent to landfills and increasing recycling rates.

Title:

Content: Bauhinia Party ｜ The Dilemma and Countermeasures of Hong Kong ’ s Waste Management System
Author: 01 Forum
Published: Updated:
Author ： Shi Lei
The author believes that many of the current garbage collection disputes have been implemented to the feasibility level, in fact, are related to the inadequacy of the behavior system of residential areas to place garbage, and some of the shortcomings have not been collected garbage bags to make up for.
Its shortcomings mainly include: almost all residents of the garbage can be carried out 24 hours (such as a fixed garbage room and a long "business hours"), each residents of the garbage room often let the residents put garbage into (super) large garbage bins, and each garbage room corresponding to the number of residents, resulting in if there is a "black sheep" do not buy a levy garbage bag to throw garbage, they can walk without obstruction.
Property companies or FEHD contractors may have to wait for a long time before they find a "bad horse" in the process of comprehensive garbage disposal, but at this time it is difficult to claim responsibility, which leads to the "polluter pays" principle in fact is empty words.
The recent Jordan fire has also reminded all walks of life in Hong Kong that there are a large number of "trivial" old tenements in the most prosperous city center in Hong Kong, with chaotic personnel, lack of property services, and unethical behavior, resulting in a large number of public safety risks.
In these places, even property fees are difficult to ensure that the tenants pay in full, and how can the executive power to ensure the implementation of the levy garbage bag system? If the measures to effectively and timely remove the "black sheep" from the institutional level can not be designed, and the implementation level will be discounted for various "objective reasons", then it will form the behavior of "bad money driven away from good money".
Soon, no one will follow the requirements of the levy garbage bag system to do, and the criticism is rife, may the next government will abolish the annoying garbage collection system as a "moral government".
Refer to the garbage disposal policies of representative regions of the world, you can see that their garbage classification, collection of garbage bags and other systems are "devil in the details", often in the geographical environment, the unwritten rules of behavior in the residential community, and institutional protection, etc., to ensure that timely detection, isolation and failure to classify, pack and dispose of garbage according to the system requirements, and minimize the possibility of "black sheep".
For example, in the European Union, Belgium, where I lived, they have long promoted charging garbage bags.
Similar to Japan, Korea and Taiwan, residents have a fixed time to throw garbage (usually early in the morning on certain days), and garbage bags containing garbage should be placed in designated places.
It can be imagined that there is no requirement for garbage bags to be filled with garbage, but the specified bags are filled with garbage that should not be loaded or excessive garbage will be rejected.
The main way of living in the city of Leuven, where the author was at the time, was a single building or an apartment building (but the floor is usually no more than 10 floors, and the residents do not exceed 50 households). Once the garbage bags are found to be not in compliance with the regulations, whether it is the city government or the apartment manager, the difficulty of tracing is not great, and the surrounding residents will actively cooperate.
For example, Japan, Korea and Taiwan are using garbage levies to regulate the classification of citizens and reduce waste. The above areas must use the volume charge, through the use of garbage charging plastic bags to implement polluter pays.
In addition to requiring residents to place garbage (in the correct bag) in the designated location at the specified time, Japanese and Korean garbage bags are more meticulous in sorting.
For example, Japan, which is more familiar to Hong Kong people, requires transparent bags (not limited to specific models but must be transparent, can be tied) to quickly confirm that the garbage classification is correct, and the bag is combustible garbage, plastic, metal cans, etc., or non-recyclable and non-combustible waste.
Recyclable waste paper, etc., does not need to buy a separate garbage bag, but needs to be properly wrapped. Although Japan has a much higher density of living than EU countries, neighbors will pay more attention to not sorting garbage and will not delay the action.
South Korea's recycling rate is also more than 50%, the main reason is the strict classification of garbage bags, different from a kind of paid garbage bags in Hong Kong, South Korea is a variety of paid garbage bags, and each garbage bag can only contain one kind of material, and according to the difficulty of recycling to determine the price of garbage bags, the more difficult the recovery, the higher the price of garbage bags.
As a result, South Korea ’ s recovery rate is higher.
As for the Taiwan region, in addition to adopting a regular garbage collection mode similar to Japan, in the area where there are no conditions to set up a garbage room, there is a garbage truck and recycling truck every night, and the song of the snow truck comes to the small area.
This requirement is even higher, and residents need to actively show up at a specific time, so recycling workers can more accurately and timely eliminate the "black sheep" that do not pack garbage according to regulations, and therefore refuse to accept or take other measures.
It is worth pointing out that I have only visited Japan, Korea and Taiwan on short trips, and only stayed in commercial hotels.
Therefore, details such as the garbage system in residential areas are indirectly obtained through online KOL sharing, live scene dramas and other channels.
Please note that there are errors.
From this, it can be seen that the problems existing in Hong Kong's current waste management system and the waste management experience of advanced regions abroad have produced the following suggestions that deserve serious consideration and reference by the Hong Kong Government and relevant departments:
1. Improve the behavior system of residents throwing garbage.
First of all, the public garbage room and the garbage disposal place in the residential area should no longer be allowed to throw garbage 7x24 hours.
To consider formulating standards, such as limited delivery time and designated delivery points, for the reference of the entire Hong Kong property management industry, the FEHD will implement them to prevent the "black sheep" from evading garbage bag charges.
2. Strengthen the management of "no matter" areas, standardize the premises and methods of refuse collection in areas where property services are lacking, and ensure that the refuse charging system can be effectively implemented even in these problem areas.
3, with reference to the practices of Japan, Korea, Taiwan and other places, after the successful implementation of the garbage collection system, it continues to optimize, the implementation of more detailed garbage classification management, according to different materials and recycling difficulties to carry out differentiated charges.
This will increase the willingness of the environmental protection industry to handle high-difficulty waste, while increasing the residents ’ enthusiasm for sorting and waste reduction.
Critics may think that the institutional construction of these areas requires a long period of time and a large amount of resources to invest, and may not be able to be directly replicated in the real environment of Hong Kong.
Moreover, the improvement of the relevant system requires no small investment of resources.
Perhaps this is precisely the original intention of the SAR Government to levy a "short and fast" garbage levy.
However, it is already clear that the "short and fast" has only attracted doubts, and even if it is forced to push forward, it will also be at the expense of the government's recognition.
Moreover, the "black sheep" can not be effectively eradicated in a timely manner, which will inevitably make the garbage collection system become "half suspended". Only a few able and willing citizens are willing to do so (such as cooperating with "green in the area", and working hard even in the hot sun at the recycling point to deliver their own recyclable plastic waste to the recycling point of respectable citizens). Go your own way, the system cost has been paid a lot, and the problem to be solved by the garbage levy is still the same.
No matter what kind of solution is adopted, the government will need some time to refine the design of the refuse collection system and promote it more vigorously.
The implementation of the principle of garbage collection in the European Union, Japan and Korea, and Taiwan is not completed in three or two months.
Garbage collection needs the long-term cooperation of residents, change the long-term behavior habits can be completed in a few months?
How can this be called good governance and good governance? If you cook for the government, you can't be anxious and work hard for the government for a long time, you can only make a well-intentioned system truly have the positive meaning it should have.
The author 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.

Title:

Content: Waste management in Hong Kong starts early and matures late. How can we catch up with Taiwan, Shanghai, Korea and the tail lights of the starry cars?
Author: 01 Weekly Report
Published: Updated:
Hong Kong's environmental protection policy has not made great progress. For many years, it seems that it has remained at the stage of "blue waste paper, yellow aluminum cans, coffee plastic bottles", and there is no plastic reduction policy.
Last year, the mainland stopped the import of waste paper, and Hong Kong recyclers also stopped collecting waste paper.
When the Government is faced with Members' questions on plastic reduction and countless initiatives by environmental groups, it is always in a state of "discussion" with the retail and restaurant industries, "under consideration", lest it harm the economic interests of the industry, and would rather harm the environmental benefits than see any actual action taken.
On July 1, 2019, the Shanghai Municipal Domestic Waste Management Ordinance was officially implemented.
At Haihong Bridge Station on the railway line, volunteers are promoting a little knowledge of garbage classification. (Visual China)
On the other hand, after years of vigorous promotion, waste management is well organized and highly efficient: South Korea ’ s waste management system is at the forefront of Asia, with Seoul being the most effective.
The local municipal authorities have the responsibility to collect, recycle and dispose of domestic and commercial solid waste. Waste management in Taiwan once lagged behind Hong Kong, but due to the early introduction of the waste levy policy by the Taiwan government, and then formulated a complex and effective waste management system, the situation in Singapore is gradually reversed. Shanghai launched the “Shanghai Municipal Domestic Waste Management Ordinance ” in 2019. The complicated measures have caused complaints from the public. Over time, the results can be said to be immediate after the people have familiarized themselves with the regulations.
Looking at the situation in these four Asian regions, it is not difficult to imagine why there is no systematic waste management in Hong Kong today, when we look back at Hong Kong's garbage collection practices, which rely entirely on the people's consciousness to separate and unsupervised waste.
For more details, please read the 285th issue of Hong Kong 01 (4 October 2021), “What should Hong Kong look for in Taiwan, Shanghai, Korea and Star? ”.
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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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South Korea, for example, has a recycling rate of over 50% due to strict classification, and has introduced waste utilization measures for long-term management.

Taiwan has a recycling rate that rose from 20% to 60% after implementing a waste levy, and has a "Resource Recovery 4-in-1 Program" that mobilized government and industry roles to promote recycling.

Title:

Content: Waste Levy ｜ Scholar Huang Huanzhong: The Neutrality of Garbage Issue Should Not Be Involved in Politics
Written by: Leung Cho Er
Published: Updated:
In the first week, Lu Wen-tuan, former vice chairman of the All-China Overseas Chinese Federation, wrote an article urging the government to postpone or shelve the waste levy.
Professor Wong Woon-chung, Emeritus Professor of Biology at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), said in a radio interview today (9th) that the concept of waste levy has been brewing in the Hong Kong Government for more than 10 years and has already matured.
He stressed that the policy of garbage levy is neutral and should not be linked to political culture.
Mr Kwok Wai-keung, a Member of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU), said that the existing problem of insufficient recycling packages should be remedied through a review after the formal implementation of the package.
▼ 1 Apr Tai Po Sun Tat Plaza One Restaurant First Try Waste Levy ▼
+ 3
Lu Wentuan yesterday (8) in a newspaper article, said that the first attempt to appear a variety of "chaos", the general public did not understand and accept the garbage levy, and criticized the "radical opposition" of the pan-politicized high pressure ordered the government to formulate policies.
Professor Wong Woon-chung, Emeritus Professor of Biology at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), responded to the matter in an interview with RTHK and Business Channel today, saying that the concept of the waste levy is already mature, and only after the Government will implement the plan, then collect the problems encountered by the public, and straighten them out before 1 August.
Lu Wenduan, former vice chairman of the All-China Overseas Chinese Federation, wrote that the “chaos ” of the garbage plan reflected that the society was not ready to implement the plan, and urged the government to postpone or shelve it.
(Photo by Liao Yanxiong)
Increase public recycling incentives after implementation of waste levy
Some people think that the current recycling rate is low, and the number of recycling packages such as three-color buckets and kitchen waste machines is small, and the setting location is far from residential buildings.
Wong Woon-chung said that the low recycling rate is not the reason for the delay in the implementation of the waste levy. In the past, recycling has always been voluntary, allowing the public to have less incentive to do garbage sorting and recycling. Now, through legislation to regulate the waste levy, the public will have more incentive to recycle.
Only after the implementation of the policy can we find more problems and make improvements
He also cited Taiwan ’ s implementation of the garbage levy at the beginning of the millennium, and the recovery rate has risen sharply from about 20% before the mandatory levy to about 60% after the levy. After the implementation, Taiwan has also spent a lot of time adjusting to various problems and reviewing various issues to achieve the current smooth model.
He added that the Hong Kong people earlier reflected that the problem of mop can not be discarded with designated bags, in fact, has been encountered in Taiwan. The local government has discussed a solution for more than a year, and it is normal for the people of Hong Kong to have a unclear understanding of the garbage levy. ".
Citizens need to compromise: there is no way to have a recycling station to dispose of garbage
He believes that kitchen waste machines, recycling facilities are sufficient, it is impossible to achieve the "drop to the point", residents always have to walk more than a few steps, walk more than 10 minutes to the recycling point to throw garbage, because if every building is set up recycling barrels, will block the street and waste resources, Taiwanese citizens need to walk more than 10 minutes to the recycling barrel.
He believes that the public need to understand that waste recycling is not only the responsibility of the Government, but also the responsibility of the public, and the public need to compromise.
We should not consider sending garbage to the Greater Bay Area for incineration.
Mr Wong stressed that the issue of waste disposal should be neutral and "should not be dragged into politics", pointing out that Hong Kong's political culture is too extreme, resulting in the proposed waste levy for more than 10 years has not been implemented, and European and American countries have begun to do garbage collection and levy as early as the 1980s, reflecting this is the main and best waste disposal plan at present.
Mr Lo said that the proposal to send waste to the Greater Bay Area for incineration was "definitely not a plan to be considered", because every place has the responsibility to deal with its own waste.
Guo Weiqiang: There is no conflict between the economic situation and the levy
In the programme, Mr Kwok Wai-keung, a member of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU), agreed that there was no conflict between Hong Kong's economic situation and environmental levies. "And the people are 15 and 16, thinking that they might not be able to do it later, and that the data they get back may not be right," he said.
The Legislative Council Member of the FTU, Mr Kwok Wai-keung, said that there was no conflict between Hong Kong's economic situation and the environmental levy.
(Photo by Yu Chun-liang)
90% of 288 households in Lin Tsui Estate in Chai Wan carry bags only 20% useful
The owner of the property management company, Pan Jianliang, said that 9 out of 288 households in the estate carried designated bags, but in the whole week, only 20% of the residents used designated bags, "seven barrels of garbage into the face of a bucket of green bags", he speculated that it may be related to the implementation of the policy, the public may be more relaxed in the trial of garbage bags.
As for the use of kitchen waste machines, he said that the recycling awareness of residents in Lin Tsui Estate has not been poor, and that the number of kitchen waste machines in the former estate has not been tested by 40 to 50 people, and the number of people after the trial is similar.
▼ 1 Apr Sham Shui Po “Three No Buildings ” Trial Waste Levy ▼
+ 3

Singapore has a well-organized waste management system, with a waste recycling rate that reached 51.7% in 2020, and aims to raise its recycling rate to 70% by 2030.

Title:

Content: Editorial: Waste recovery should be effectively increased
Font Size:
Data released by the National Environment Agency last week showed that according to a survey conducted in 2023, 72% of households participated in a recycling program, up from 64% in 2021.
However, more household participation has not translated into higher recycling rates, and China ’ s household waste recycling rate last year stagnated at a historic low in 2022, recycling only 12% of waste.
Pollution is the biggest challenge facing our country in the recycling process.
Blue garbage collection bins placed throughout the island are often used as ordinary garbage cans, so that the recycled items are contaminated by food waste and cannot be used.
Contaminated items are not limited to one box of recyclables, because recyclables in the same area will be collected in the same recycling vehicle.
The Environment Agency estimates that the contamination rate of household recyclables is about 40 per cent.
Therefore, it is very important to take the recycling box seriously and carefully check the items placed in the recycling box, and arbitrarily throw the garbage into the recycling box, which will destroy the entire recycling process and make the recycling efforts of interested people fall short.
To improve the recycling rate, we must first strengthen public education.
While the Environment Agency has been advocating for the proper use of blue recycling bins, it is clear from the data point of view that the agency must also step up its ongoing education efforts to ensure that everyone knows what is recyclable and what is not.
The elderly and domestic helpers need special attention and guidance.
Schools also play an important role in teaching students proper recycling methods.
Through early education, the younger generation can better understand and practice the right recycling methods and communicate this knowledge to their families.
The bureau should also consider improving the design of the blue recycling bin so that it is easy to put in but not easy to take out, to prevent some people from turning over the bin and trying to find paper, aluminum cans and other reusable items that can be sold, resulting in a mess around and people mistaking it as a garbage can.
Since there are limited categories of items that can be put into blue recycling bins, such as used clothing and batteries, which cannot be discarded, better results may be achieved if more types of recycling are provided and further classified.
The trial of kitchen waste recycling cabinets and smart recycling bins in BiShan and Xinmin is a good attempt.
The pilot scheme, launched in April 2022, uses smart systems to recycle food waste, used clothing, paper, plastic, aluminum, tin cans and glass.
Through the use of technology, it effectively reduces the pollution rate of recycled materials to 10%, far below the national average of 40%.
The company plans to install more smart recycling bins in 83 more locations from January next year.
Under the scheme, members of the public are required to download the application and scan the QR code to select the type of items to be recycled before they can open the recycling bins of the respective items.
Although the operation is more cumbersome, it can keep the environment clean and prevent abuse.
On the other hand, by participating in the recycling program to accumulate points to exchange supermarket gift vouchers, it is expected to change the public's recycling behavior and gradually develop the habit of sorting garbage.
Of course, changing attitudes towards recycling will require sustained public education and information.
Including non-household waste, China's overall recycling rate last year fell by five percentage points from the previous year, only 52%, which is far from China's goal of raising the recycling rate to 70% by 2030.
Our only Silmago landfill island is expected to be filled by 2035.
In addition to setting recovery rate targets, reducing overall consumption targets is also important as this reduces the need for recovery at the source.
Recycling is not convenient, and recyclable items must be properly cleaned and correctly classified.
To change long-formed habits and lifestyles is challenging, individual efforts may seem trivial, but the power of collective action is immense.
If everyone is actively involved in proper recycling and waste reduction, Singapore can overcome the challenge of waste pollution and move towards a more sustainable future.
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The government plays a crucial role in promoting and implementing waste sorting and recycling practices, with public education being key to successful waste sorting and recycling.

Gradual and tailored strategies are often used in waste disposal worldwide, and countries like Japan and Taiwan have developed a sense of garbage sorting through half a century of efforts.

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 "polluter pays" principle is used in waste charging, where the cost of waste disposal is borne by the generator of the waste.

Implementing a waste levy can increase public incentives to recycle, and economic situation does not conflict with environmental levies.

The use of technology, such as robotic waste sorting systems, is becoming increasingly common in countries with successful waste sorting and recycling systems.

Title:

Content: Robotic Waste Sorting Market Size to Achieve Stunning USD 3.4 Billion Revenue by 2034, Powered by 3.8% CAGR| Transparency Market Research Inc.

The rise in the need for efficiency and accuracy in waste sorting, coupled with the increased application of robotic arms in waste management facilities, is significantly boosting the value of the robotic waste sorting market.

Wilmington, Delaware, United States, Transparency Market Research, Inc. , July 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global robotic waste sorting market (Markt für Roboter-Abfallsortierung ) stood at US$ 2.3 billion in 2023, and the global market is projected to reach US$ 3.4 billion in 2034. The robotic waste sorting market is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 3.8% between 2024 and 2034.

The robotic waste sorting market is experiencing significant growth driven by the increasing demand for efficiency and accuracy in waste management processes. As urbanization and population growth lead to higher volumes of waste, there is a growing need for advanced technologies to handle and process waste more effectively. Robotic waste sorting systems are emerging as a key solution to address these challenges by improving sorting precision and operational efficiency.

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One of the primary factors driving the market is the need for enhanced efficiency in waste sorting. Traditional manual sorting methods are labor-intensive and often prone to errors, leading to inefficiencies and increased operational costs. Robotic systems, equipped with advanced technologies, offer a more efficient alternative by automating the sorting process. This not only speeds up operations but also reduces the reliance on human labor, minimizing the risk of injury and ensuring consistent performance.

The application of robotic arms in waste management facilities has become increasingly prevalent. These robotic arms, integrated with sophisticated sensors and artificial intelligence (AI), are capable of handling a wide variety of waste materials, including plastics, metals, and paper. The use of these robotic systems allows for accurate sorting and separation of materials, which is crucial for recycling and waste reduction efforts.

Autonomous waste sorting systems are at the forefront of this market. These systems employ computer vision and deep machine learning algorithms to detect and classify different types of waste materials. Computer vision systems capture images of waste items, while deep learning models analyze these images to identify and sort materials with high precision. This technology not only enhances sorting accuracy but also adapts to evolving waste streams and varying material types.

Robotic Waste Sorting Market: Key Players

  • ABB
  • AMP
  • Bollegraaf
  • CleanRobotics
  • EverestLabs Inc.
  • General Kinematics Corporation
  • Greyparrot
  • Machinex Industries Inc.
  • NIHOT
  • Pellenc ST
  • Recycleye
  • TOMRA Systems ASA
  • Waste Robotics Inc.
  • Zen Robotics Oy

Robotic Waste Sorting Market: Key Developments

  • In 2023, General Kinematics Corporation introduced an advanced robotic sorting system featuring improved sensor technology and AI integration. This system enhances the precision of waste separation by using high-resolution sensors and machine learning algorithms to better identify and sort different types of recyclable materials, leading to increased efficiency and accuracy in recycling facilities.
  • In 2023, Greyparrot launched a new AI-powered waste sorting solution that leverages deep learning and computer vision to optimize waste processing. This system provides real-time data analytics and automated sorting capabilities, allowing waste management facilities to better track and categorize materials, improve recycling rates, and reduce contamination in the waste stream.

Key Takeaways of Market Report

  • Global robotic waste sorting market to generate absolute dollar opportunity worth US$ 8.9 billion until 2034.
  • Global robotic waste sorting market is valued at US$ 5.6 billion in 2023.
  • Asia Pacific is forecasted to hold the largest share in 2023.

Robotic Waste Sorting Market: Growth Drivers

  • Robotic waste sorting represents an innovative approach that enhances recycling facilities by integrating advanced technologies. Robots equipped with sensors, artificial intelligence (AI), and sophisticated robotic arms are capable of recognizing, selecting, and sorting various elements within the waste stream. These technologies enable precise identification and separation of different waste materials, improving recycling efficiency and accuracy.
  • Advanced robotic arms autonomously manage waste sorting processes. They first determine the category of each waste item and then pick it accordingly. After sorting, the robotic arms place the waste in its designated location.
  • This automation streamlines the sorting process, reduces manual labor, and ensures efficient handling of diverse waste materials, contributing to more effective waste management and recycling operations.

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Robotic Waste Sorting Market: Regional Landscape

  • In 2023, Europe held the largest share of the global robotic waste sorting market. A key factor driving this dominance is the increasing scarcity of labor willing to work in hazardous and physically demanding environments, such as waste sorting facilities. The adoption of robotic systems in these facilities helps address labor shortages by automating the sorting process, improving efficiency, and ensuring safer working conditions.
  • Asia Pacific also experienced notable market growth in 2023. The surge in urbanization and the rising use of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), in waste management facilities are major contributors to this progress. These technologies enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of robotic waste sorting systems, driving market expansion in the region as cities seek innovative solutions to manage growing waste volumes.

Robotic Waste Sorting Market: Segmentation

Offering

  • Hardware
  • Robotic Arm
  • Gripper
  • AI-vision System
  • Conveyor System
  • Others
  • Software
  • Solution

Sorting Material

  • Plastic Waste
  • Paper Waste
  • Metal Waste
  • Food Waste
  • E-waste

Application

  • Waste Recovery
  • Waste Recycling

End User

  • Residential
  • Municipal
  • Commercial
  • Industrial

Region

  • North America
  • Europe
  • Asia Pacific
  • Latin America
  • Middle East & Africa

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More Trending Report by Transparency Market Research:

  • Desiccant Market - The global desiccant market (Trockenmittelmarkt) poised to Reach USD 1.0 Billion by 2034 with 5.7% CAGR: Driven by E-commerce and Sustainable Packaging Trends | States TMR
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These systems can improve sorting precision and operational efficiency, and can help to increase recycling rates.

The European Union has set targets for recycling, with a goal of 55% recycling of municipal waste and 65% recycling of total packaging waste by 2025.

Title:

Content: Circular Economy : 18 EU Member States at risk of missing waste targets

Which countries are at risk of missing the 2025 targets for preparing for re-use and recycling of municipal and all packaging waste and the 2035 landfill target? The European Commission answered this question in a recently published early warning report. But first the good news. Nine Member States are on track to meet the 2025 targets: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Slovenia.

And just as a reminder, these are the targets set out in the Waste Framework Directive and the Directive on packaging and packaging waste we are talking about:

  • 55% recycling and preparing for reuse of municipal waste;
  • 65% recycling for total packaging waste;
  • and material-specific packaging waste recycling targets (75% for paper and cardboard, 70% for glass, 70% for ferrous metals packaging, 50% for aluminium, 50% for plastic and 25% for wood).

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Bad news for some countries

And now the bad news: 18 Member States are at serious risk of missing one or both of the 2025 targets.

Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Latvia, Portugal, Spain and Sweden are at risk of missing the municipal waste target.

Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovakia are at risk of missing both the municipal waste and the total packaging waste targets for 2025.

In addition, some countries continue to landfill most of their municipal waste and are likely to miss the 2035 landfill target. The Commission is making recommendations to these Member States, building on the ongoing financial and technical support provided to improve waste management performance. These recommendations cover a wide range of actions: reducing non-recyclable waste, increasing re-use, promoting separate collection, developing treatment capacity for sorting and recycling, improving governance, using economic instruments and raising awareness.

"Implementing waste reduction and recycling measures on the ground is key for our circular economy transition. Turning waste into resources helps us on the way to climate neutrality, increases the security of supply of energy and raw materials, and creates local jobs and innovation opportunities. The early warning report allows us, in close cooperation with the Member States, to detect shortcomings, take action ahead of the deadlines for meeting the targets, and share best practices in sound waste management," said Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries

Waste generation on the rise

On average, Europeans generate 530 kg of municipal waste per person per year (waste from households and similar waste from businesses). Although it is increasingly recycled and less landfilled, municipal waste (MSW) is still one of the most complex waste streams to manage. In the EU, about 50% of MSW is recycled or composted and 23% is landfilled. The amount of packaging waste generated is constantly increasing. Between 2013 and 2020, the amount of packaging waste generated in the EU will increase by 15% to almost 80 million tonnes. Around 64% of packaging waste is now recycled, although this varies by material. More than 75% of paper, cardboard and metal packaging is recycled, but less than 40% of plastic packaging - a problem in most EU countries, many of which are at risk of missing the material-specific target for plastic packaging waste recycling.

The early warning report allows us, in close cooperation with the Member States, to detect shortcomings, take action ahead of the deadlines for meeting the targets, and share best practices in sound waste management.
Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries

Significant differences between Member States

Looking at the report, one thing is clear: There are considerable differences in waste management performance across the EU. Some countries still have a long way to go to meet the targets agreed in EU legislation and further reforms are needed, in particular to ensure the treatment of biowaste, which accounts for a third of municipal waste, to ensure separate collection of waste - a prerequisite for recycling - and to improve data quality. However, most EU countries have introduced or are in the process of introducing waste reforms to improve recycling rates, some of which are expected to bear fruit in the coming years.

The results were also influenced by external factors, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which reduced or stopped separate collection in some countries. The recent rise in energy prices is also having a negative impact on recycling activities.

The early warning report builds on the Environmental Implementation Review, which had already identified problems with the implementation of EU waste legislation. In particular, almost 2000 illegal or substandard landfills are still operating in the EU, representing a significant source of pollution and greenhouse gases and a missed opportunity for the recovery of secondary raw materials.

However, 18 EU Member States are at risk of missing waste targets, including Estonia, Finland, and Sweden, which are at risk of missing the municipal waste target.

The role of government is crucial in promoting and implementing waste sorting and recycling practices, through policies and regulations that support the development of recycling infrastructure.

Title:

Content: Curbside recycling

THE EDITOR: As we look forward with great expectation to 2024, this is a good time to contemplate strategies which would redound to the greater protection of our natural environment.

First there should be curbside pickup of recyclable materials. It has become common place in developed countries for people to sort their trash into what can be recycled and what can't be. The recyclables are then placed curbside in a colour-coded bin for pickup separate and apart from the other trash.

TT should be no different. The aim is for recycling to be more than just a campaign, but rather part of our modus operandi and way of national life.

Also, single-use plastic bags should be phased out. The use of reuseable bags should be encouraged and incentivised. Finally, there needs to be greater enforcement of the littering laws and the increase of penalties where applicable.

COLIN DENOON

South Oropouche

More in this section

Government support can include funding for recycling programs, education and awareness campaigns, and regulations that require the separation of waste.

The implementation of waste sorting and recycling systems can have significant environmental benefits, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving natural resources, and reducing waste sent to landfills.

Title:

Content: BETA
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Ten Ways To Leverage Facilities Management To Optimize Sustainability

Rob Almond is the CEO of NEST, the pioneer of Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) in North America since 1994. Follow NEST on LinkedIn.

A rising social consciousness together with an accelerating climate crisis is prompting many businesses to rethink their operational strategies. A significant area of focus is facilities management (FM), where integrating sustainable practices can deliver substantial environmental benefits and cost savings.

To highlight the importance of FM, according to American business consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, approximately 40% of global carbon emissions come from buildings and the construction industry. I believe that FM can make a meaningful difference and help you adopt more sustainable practices in energy consumption, water management, waste management, pollution reduction, efficient space usage and indoor environmental health.

Here are ten ways that businesses can leverage FM to optimize sustainability across operations:

1. Start With Energy Efficiency And Conservation

Since energy consumption is one of the most significant impacts a facility has on the environment, I recommend that it be a key focus of your sustainable FM practices. More efficient energy use is not only beneficial to the planet, but it can also translate to meaningful cost savings over time.

Initiatives can include upgrading to energy-efficient appliances and lighting, installing automated systems that adjust heating and cooling based on occupancy or producing renewable energy onsite. Here are specific examples to take into account:

• Replace outdated HVAC units and boilers with newer, high-efficiency systems that consume less energy to provide heating, cooling and ventilation.

• Update windows to more energy-efficient models, such as those with double or triple glazing and low-emissivity coatings. This can help reduce heat transfer, minimize air leakage and decrease the need for artificial cooling or heating.

• Upgrade insulation so that less energy is required to maintain a comfortable temperature inside the building. Updated insulation also protects structural elements from excessive temperature variations and moisture damage.

• Explore renewable energy options such as solar or geothermal power sources.

• Optimize heat retention by installing new roofing and consider options including cool or green roofs.

• Install smart meters to monitor and effectively manage electricity, gas, water and other utilities.

2. Be Smart About Water Management

Water is a precious resource, and its sustainable management is a must. This can include installing low-flow fixtures, using greywater for landscaping or implementing rainwater harvesting systems. Regular checks for leaks and immediate repair can also prevent significant water wastage and unintentional spending.

I've found the additional resources and best practices included on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Management Plans and Best Practices at the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Water Savings Network to be helpful.

3. Hire The Right Service Providers

When repairing and maintaining facilities, consider hiring contractors with experience in energy-efficient assets who prioritize using environmentally friendly products and energy-efficient systems.

Conventional cleaning products often contain harmful ingredients that pose risks to customers, employees and contractors. By opting for eco-friendly cleaning products, you can minimize the release of toxic chemicals into the environment and reduce exposure for those in the area. Resources such as Green Seal and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can help identify appropriate products and practices.

4. Consider Procurement

Sustainability in FM extends to procurement practices as well. Consider suppliers' environmental policies and favor those who take a sustainable approach. This could mean reducing packaging in procurement, sourcing materials locally to reduce carbon emissions or choosing suppliers who operate under a circular economy model.

5. Focus On Waste Management And Recycling

Effective waste management and recycling are essential sustainability practices. This includes composting organic waste, recycling where possible and contracting with waste haulers who prioritize recycling over landfills.

Recycling, in particular, helps reduce emissions, preserve limited resources and safeguard against ocean pollution, among other benefits. However, prioritizing recycling requires careful planning, as specific regulations are associated with recycling particular materials such as batteries and fluorescent lights. In addition, many of these processes involve specialist assistance such as the safe disposal of refrigerants and large equipment recycling.

6. Practice Preventative Maintenance

I believe preventative maintenance (PM) is also essential to ensure the optimal performance of equipment. When assets are not functioning to their specifications—due to age or other issues—it can negatively affect sustainability efforts.

By regularly maintaining existing equipment, your business can better manage energy consumption and help extend your equipment's useful life. This delays the need for replacement, which also helps sustainability and reduces costs within an FM program.

7. Implement Cutting-Edge Technology

There's a range of newer technologies that can assist in optimizing sustainability in facilities management. With digital building technologies like IoT sensors, visitor management systems (VMS), occupancy sensors, AI applications and related cloud-supported analytics, facilities teams can better track and measure lighting, ventilation, air quality, maintenance and other energy systems against sustainability goals.

8. Elevate Employee Engagement

I find that engaging employees in the process is crucial to help ensure the success of sustainability efforts. Look to provide regular training on sustainability practices and be able to explain why they matter. Ensure that your staff understand recycling procedures, energy-saving measures and water conservation practices.

9. Implement Regular Audits

It's important to understand that sustainability is an ongoing journey rather than a one-time project. Regular audits help boost visibility, identify patterns and facilitate better resource management. Setting measurable goals and tracking improvements can ensure greater sustainability throughout a company.

10. Consider An Integrated Approach

Establishing and maintaining sustainability-friendly procurement policies can often be more efficient and cost-effective when centralized under a single integrated facilities management (IFM) program. (Full disclosure: My company helps run an IFM.) Working with a provider that has its own service delivery network can help you get a more accurate reading of products, especially in janitorial settings.

Sustainable facilities management is now part of a strong foundation for organizations, delivering significant cost savings and environmental benefits. With a commitment to continuous improvement, your facility can lead the way to a more sustainable future.

Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedInCheck out my website

The use of digital technologies, such as sensors and computer vision, can also improve the efficiency and accuracy of waste sorting and recycling systems.

The development of closed-loop systems for waste management, where materials are constantly cycled back into production, can also help to reduce waste and promote recycling.

Overall, countries with successful waste sorting and recycling systems use a combination of effective laws and regulations, education and awareness campaigns, and advanced technologies to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of their systems.

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Sealed Air: Recyclability Claims: What You Need To Know

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 8, 2023 / There are four paths a package can take after serving its useful purpose: landfill/litter, composting, energy recovery/incineration, or recycling. While a recyclability claim is commonly associated with what makes a package sustainable, recycling is just one part of a complex ecosystem that depends on a variety of factors including geography, consumer behavior, collection processes, sorting processes, equipment, and profitability.

Packaging recyclability claims that are unsubstantiated or misleading create risk ranging from consumer complaints and negative social media chatter to class action lawsuits and fines from governmental organizations. They can also lead to a weakening of the recycling infrastructure, a circumstance the global circular economy simply can't afford.

Getting recyclability claims right is easier than you think - but it pays to follow the rules. Here are some things you need to know:

Criteria for 100% Recyclable

To be considered 100% recyclable, SEE® (formerly Sealed Air) believes packaging material or solutions must meet this criteria:

1. Can be collected at curbside or drop-off by at least 60% of the population

Whether it's picked up at the curbside or taken by the consumer to a drop-off location, collection is the first step to recycling. Recycling systems vary greatly in terms of what they will take based on everything from the sorting equipment available at the material recovery facility (MRF) they work with, how much labor they are able to employ to pick up bins or sort by hand, and even the market price for bales of collected material to off-set the cost of sorting.

Most municipal recycling programs publish the types of materials they accept either as part of customer agreements, printed guides, or on their websites. Based on a variety of factors, these rules can change from time to time - restricted items may still leave the curb, but unknowingly to the consumer, it will end up in the landfill.

All this is to say, that regardless of the material type, it becomes the responsibility of the consumer to check the rules that govern the program in which they participate, as well as to follow guidelines provided by standardized labels such as How2Recycle in the U.S., On-Pack Recycling Labels in the U.K, or the Australasian Recycling Labels in Australia and New Zealand.

While similar to some degree, labels and rules vary around the world and aren't always easy to understand at a glance. That's a lot for consumers to keep up with - and it's one of the biggest reasons we encounter aspirational recycling - when consumers knowingly put something in the bin they may be unsure about and simply hope it gets recycled.

2. Can be sorted by the material recovery facility to which it is sent

Now that most municipal recycling programs offer mixed-stream recycling where paper, glass, metals, and plastics are collected in one bin, MRFs take on the critical role of sorting before items can move on to the actual recycling process.

Because the volume of waste can be high and the time to sort is so short, most modern MRFs automate the sorting process as much as possible with high-speed conveyors and screens, optical sorters, and robotics.

While that's great news for packaging made of paper, metal, or glass, the "need for speed" presents a particular challenge for plastic. Plastics that often look and weigh the same, may be constructed completed differently, so how they react during different stages of the sorting process will also vary.

To keep things simple and to protect the integrity of their recycling streams, most MRFs limit the types of plastic they accept, and only through improvement of the recycling infrastructure is that likely to change.

3. Can be recycled into a commercially viable product

Recycling is the process through which materials are returned to some type of useful, marketable material. While there can be many ways to accomplish this task, two are of the most relevance to packaging: mechanical recycling and advanced recycling.

Mechanical recycling refers to operations that use processes such as grinding, washing, separating, drying, granulating, and compounding as the means to create recycled materials. For plastics, while mechanical recycling preserves the molecular structure, in some cases the recycled material does not possess the same functional properties as the original.

This results in downcycling, or the need to use the recycled material in a different or lower-value application. Examples of downcycling include PET water bottles that are recycled into pellets used to make carpeting or synthetic fleece fibers; used printer or photocopy paper being recycled into corrugated cardboard; or glass containers that are recycled into fiberglass insulation or used as additives in concrete or ceramic tiles.

Where plastics are concerned, the highest volume of mechanically recycled packaging materials are standard formats such as PET bottles for water and soft drinks, and HDPE jugs for milk and juice. Beyond those applications, there is no standard for what type of resin can be used, so it becomes more challenging for recyclers to identify and separate plastics to keep recycling streams pure.

Maintaining the quality and integrity of recycling streams is critical to marketability and therefore profitability. Without market demand, reasonable margins, or affordable pricing for recycled materials and the applications that use them, the entire recycling system will fail.

Complexity of the Plastic Recycling Ecosystem

With a start as early as the 1960s, municipal recycling programs as we know them today didn't really gain scale until the 1990s. During that same period, plastic packaging changed dramatically as well, moving from the easier-to-identify-and-recycle rigid plastics like PET(E) and HDPE to include a broad range of performance plastics such as flexible LDPE films, PVC, PP, or PS.

In 1988, about the time municipal recycling programs began to gain scale, the Plastics Industry Association (formerly Society of the Plastics Industry) developed resin identification codes (RIC) to "provide a consistent national system to facilitate recycling of post-consumer plastics."

When first introduced, RIC symbols featured the universally recognized recycling symbol known as the "chasing arrows" to contain the resin type identification number. And, while those chasing arrows were intended only to facilitate the sorting process prior to recycling, the general public misinterpreted the symbols and began associating them directly with recyclability.

Currently, ASTM International maintains upkeep of the RIC graphic standards. While they officially replaced the chasing arrows with a solid triangle in 2013, following these standards remains voluntary, and use of the chasing arrows remains prevalent. For packaging in particular, keeping up with changing voluntary standards can be challenging - as the replacement of a die or injection mold is often determined to be cost prohibitive for such a small change.

Because RICs were never developed with brand owners or consumers in mind, claiming recyclability based on RIC alone is not enough. In today's environment, regardless of the material type, it becomes the responsibility of the consumer to check the rules that govern the program in which they participate.

That's why SEE® recommends use of standardized labels such as How2Recycle in the U.S., On-Pack Recycling Labels in the U.K, or the Australasian Recycling Labels in Australia and New Zealand.

And it's also why SEE® takes the position that when it comes to recycling plastic packaging, the proper instruction to consumers always starts with "check locally."

Innovation and Infrastructure

For more than 20 years until 2018, China accepted nearly half of the world's recyclable waste, including 95% of the plastics collected in the E.U and 70% from the U.S. But when quality problems and contamination of their recycled materials caused a significant decline in market value, China instituted National Sword, a policy that banned the import of most plastics and other materials headed for their recycling processors.

Prior to 2018, as the use and development of flexible plastic packaging skyrocketed, governments worried little about the need to build their own infrastructure to recycle it. At the same time, most consumers had no idea that the materials they put out at the curb eventually went overseas.

The good news is countries and municipalities that may have once relied on exporting recyclables to China are now investing in and enhancing their own infrastructure. For example:

Research conducted by the Materials Recovery for the Future project in 2020 showed that state-of-the-art optical sorting and peripheral systems are significantly improving the capture rate and quality of recycled flexible plastic packaging.

Advanced recycling, also called chemical recycling, uses pyrolysis to create plastic with performance properties equal to virgin plastics that can be used for the same application from which they came - such as fresh food packaging.

Industry associations are conducting initiatives focused on improving the process of recycling PE films, recycling post-industrial food packaging, or using recycled plastic content in products like asphalt.

While these technologies are still in developmental stages, they are part of how SEE® and its related industries are working together to create more and better recycling solutions.

Why SEE® Calls It Recycle-Ready

SEE® defines recyclability as the likelihood that a material will be collected, recycled, and then made into a new, commercially viable product. Given the current state of the recycling ecosystem around the world that's not as easy or straightforward as it should be.

The company understands that political climate, NGOs, or exchanges on social media often put pressure on an industry for change but SEE® won't take short cuts that could put the progress it's made at risk.

The term recyclable has criteria associated with it that SEE® observes to ensure the purity, quality, and market value of its recycling streams. And, while the company will continue to develop and introduce new products with recyclability in mind, it acknowledges the infrastructure may not be ready to accommodate these innovations just yet - so it sends them to market as recycle-ready.

As soon as these materials meet all criteria to be labeled 100% recyclable, SEE® will update the claim.

Originally published on SealedAir.com.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Sealed Air on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:
Spokesperson: Sealed Air
Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/sealed-air
Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Sealed Air

View source version on accesswire.com:
https://www.accesswire.com/753429/Recyclability-Claims-What-You-Need-To-Know

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