Countries recognized for leading waste sorting and recycling demonstrate diverse approaches involving government policy, public participation, and technological innovation.

Notably, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, the Netherlands, Finland, certain European nations, and cities/regions within China stand out with effective systems and practices.

South Korea’s system, especially in Seoul, is a leading example in Asia.

Since implementing a garbage levy system in 1995, the government enforced multi-pronged waste utilization policies that reshaped waste management models and public awareness.

The legislation mandates waste sorting and gradual extension of recycling capacities, supported by economic incentives and penalties.

South Korea also employs the Pigouvian tax on producers failing to meet high recycling targets (e.g., 80% on plastic bottles), promoting producer responsibility through a robust legislation framework and rewarding manufacturers exceeding goals.

This systemic approach has elevated South Korea's recycling rates above 80% for some materials, making it a model for others in the region.

Taiwan established early household waste sorting with dedicated collection vehicles (yellow trucks for recyclables, white trucks for food waste and other materials).

Initiated by its 1997 “Resource Recovery 4-in-1 Program,” the government coordinated manufacturers, consumers, licensed recyclers, and local agencies through an equitable cost-sharing mechanism and vigorous outreach.

Taiwan's comprehensive system achieved significant recycling success, helping turnaround its waste management landscape from lagging behind Hong Kong to leading it.

Singapore, despite its small size similar to Hong Kong, operates a centralized, professional waste management system under license by the National Environment Agency.

In 2020, Singapore achieved a solid waste recycling rate of 51.7%, exemplifying effective integration of technology and regulation.

Countries recognized for leading waste sorting and recycling demonstrate diverse approaches involving government policy, public participation, and technological innovation.

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.

Notably, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, the Netherlands, Finland, certain European nations, and cities/regions within China stand out with effective systems and practices.

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? ”.
Click here to try our weekly newsletter for more in-depth coverage.
285 issues of Hong Kong 01 e-newsletter Other exclusive highlights:
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The Expectations of Lam Cheng's Final Policy Address: Regaining the Dominant Power of Development and Restructuring the Land Economy
"Left glue" opens up the land, imagines that the government is lagging behind the people.
Has the central bank 'pacified' the property market twice in a week?
Sixteen Years of Progress: The Delayed Garbage Levy Ordinance
After Meng Wanzhou's return to the motherland, the public opinion has been heated to examine Sino-US relations.
Lau Kwok-hoon: Regaining the "True Hong Kong Speed" and developing a new centre in New Territories North
Is the time for UK to relax regulation of gene editing agriculture coming?
An Interview with Chu Hsing-hsiang and Hu Kuo-hsien
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South Korea’s system, especially in Seoul, is a leading example in Asia.

Since implementing a garbage levy system in 1995, the government enforced multi-pronged waste utilization policies that reshaped waste management models and public awareness.

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.
Leave a comment...

The legislation mandates waste sorting and gradual extension of recycling capacities, supported by economic incentives and penalties.

Title:

Content: Producer Responsibility System Waste Reduction Policy Package in Place
Comments ‧ World Situation 2022 / 08 / 06
Share:
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On average, more than 5 million plastic beverage bottles are disposed of in landfills in Hong Kong every day, reflecting the poor results of plastic reduction and recycling.
Under the long-term initiative of environmental organizations such as Green Earth, the environmental protection department is preparing to introduce relevant producer responsibility schemes (PRS) to respond.
In simple terms, PRS usually uses financial means, such as bottle fees and glass bottle levies, to induce "producers" such as manufacturers, retailers and even consumers to shoulder their due environmental responsibility.
Effective laws and regulations are indispensable to improve the industrial chain
PRS This waste management regulation is slightly different from the common pollution control regulations. To promote source waste reduction and recycling, effective regulations and the support of the entire recycling industry chain are indispensable.
First, the recycling industry chain, which includes high-coverage front-line collection points, large and small transport fleets, adequate recycling and recycling plants, a market for valuable recycled materials, and PRS system managers.
To promote the formation and effectiveness of the recycling industry chain, we must first have "smart" regulations, in which the setting of ambitious recycling targets, attractive economic incentives (such as refunds by bottle or bottle), and a reward and punishment mechanism for manufacturers are all key elements.
For example, the EPD recently proposed that each plastic bottle should be given a refund of at least one dime, hoping to achieve a recovery rate of 40% in the first year and 75% in five years.
Is there a “tooth ” for this purpose?
Hong Kong 's plastic recycling performance is poor PRS International
Green Earth analyzed a number of countries and regions that use PRS to manage beverage containers, and concluded that the average refund amount for each plastic bottle is more than HK $1, which is 10 times less than the corner of Hong Kong.
As for the average recovery rate target for the first year of PRS, the international average is above 70%, of which 80% in South Korea in Asia and 90% in the three Nordic countries are high; even if the target is lower, Lithuania and Slovakia are also 55% and 60% respectively, which are much more positive than Hong Kong's 40%.
The reason why PRS is called producer responsibility, the key word is the word "producer", which means that this stakeholder is responsible.
I would like to remind the environmental protection department that the recycling responsibilities of manufacturers and importers must not be missed.
The most direct approach is to set up an adequate reward and punishment mechanism to ensure that if the manufacturer fails to meet the recycling target, it must bear the responsibility, so that it can be matched with the "responsibility system".
Set up incentive mechanism to encourage manufacturers to respond positively
South Korea, a model student of high plastic bottle recycling, has adopted the Pigouvian Tax: if the market fails to meet the 80% recycling target, producers, importers and PRS system administrators have to pay the corresponding punitive tax on a proportional basis.
The author also believes that, in fairness, if the recycling rate exceeds the target, or the market adopts a considerable plastic reduction package (such as naked buy, reuse container sales), there should be corresponding incentives to promote the positive response of manufacturers and create a source of plastic reduction culture.
At a time when the Government has not yet submitted the PRS Bill to the Legislative Council, the Legislative Council (especially the Panel on Environmental Affairs) has the responsibility to monitor the quality of the policy and request the Administration to respond positively to the following key points:
1. Disclose the results of the EPD ’ s 2021 plastic bottle public consultation, including supporting the proportion of different refund amounts;
2. Keep up with the international standard, the minimum refund amount should start at HK $1;
Third, update the recovery rate target: 70% in the first year of policy implementation, and increase to 90% in three years;
Fourth, set up a review mechanism: if the recycling target is not reached within the deadline, then increase the legal minimum amount of refunded bottles, increase the economic incentive; at the same time, compared with the Piguet tax, manufacturers, importers, PRS system managers must be jointly responsible for the failure to meet the target.
Author: Liu Zhaolang Senior Project Director, Green Earth
Column name: GREEN FORUM
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South Korea also employs the Pigouvian tax on producers failing to meet high recycling targets (e.g., 80% on plastic bottles), promoting producer responsibility through a robust legislation framework and rewarding manufacturers exceeding goals.

This systemic approach has elevated South Korea's recycling rates above 80% for some materials, making it a model for others in the region.

Taiwan established early household waste sorting with dedicated collection vehicles (yellow trucks for recyclables, white trucks for food waste and other materials).

Initiated by its 1997 “Resource Recovery 4-in-1 Program,” the government coordinated manufacturers, consumers, licensed recyclers, and local agencies through an equitable cost-sharing mechanism and vigorous outreach.

Taiwan's comprehensive system achieved significant recycling success, helping turnaround its waste management landscape from lagging behind Hong Kong to leading it.

Singapore, despite its small size similar to Hong Kong, operates a centralized, professional waste management system under license by the National Environment Agency.

In 2020, Singapore achieved a solid waste recycling rate of 51.7%, exemplifying effective integration of technology and regulation.


Countries recognized for leading waste sorting and recycling demonstrate diverse approaches involving government policy, public participation, and technological innovation.

Notably, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, the Netherlands, Finland, certain European nations, and cities/regions within China stand out with effective systems and practices.

South Korea’s system, especially in Seoul, is a leading example in Asia.

Since implementing a garbage levy system in 1995, the government enforced multi-pronged waste utilization policies that reshaped waste management models and public awareness.

The legislation mandates waste sorting and gradual extension of recycling capacities, supported by economic incentives and penalties.

South Korea also employs the Pigouvian tax on producers failing to meet high recycling targets (e.g., 80% on plastic bottles), promoting producer responsibility through a robust legislation framework and rewarding manufacturers exceeding goals.

This systemic approach has elevated South Korea's recycling rates above 80% for some materials, making it a model for others in the region.

Taiwan established early household waste sorting with dedicated collection vehicles (yellow trucks for recyclables, white trucks for food waste and other materials).

Initiated by its 1997 “Resource Recovery 4-in-1 Program,” the government coordinated manufacturers, consumers, licensed recyclers, and local agencies through an equitable cost-sharing mechanism and vigorous outreach.

Taiwan's comprehensive system achieved significant recycling success, helping turnaround its waste management landscape from lagging behind Hong Kong to leading it.

Singapore, despite its small size similar to Hong Kong, operates a centralized, professional waste management system under license by the National Environment Agency.

Waste is meticulously sorted into paper, plastic, glass, metal, and garden waste categories, followed by incineration plants reducing waste volume by about 90%, with minimal landfill use.

In 2020, Singapore achieved a solid waste recycling rate of 51.7%, exemplifying effective integration of technology and regulation.

Japan is historically the best performer in waste sorting, enforcing strict laws over decades to cultivate public participation and advanced recycling technologies.

For example, Japan's e-waste recycling programs recovered significant amounts of precious metals from household appliances for reuse.

The government’s electronic product repair voucher system subsidizes repairs to extend product life, fostering a circular economy culture.

In Europe, countries like Belgium lead in citizen sorting participation (91% of population sorting waste).

In the Netherlands, Amsterdam operates advanced waste sorting plants using infrared scanning and automation to separate recyclables from mixed waste efficiently.

Landfill use is minimal, with residual waste incinerated under stringent emissions standards; ash is reused in construction or safely disposed of in underground mines in Germany.

These approaches emphasize waste hierarchy: reduction, reuse, sorting, recycling, and energy recovery with minimized landfill usage.

Finland exemplifies almost complete recycling with only 1% of waste landfilled, achieved through strong cooperation between central and local governments and high public awareness.

The Finnish system includes companies specializing in waste-to-energy processes, further enhancing sustainability.

Chinese cities like Shanghai have implemented stringent waste separation laws since 2019, mandating households and entities to sort waste into four categories with significant fines for non-compliance.

Public resistance initially occurred, but enforcement has resulted in improved environmental outcomes.

Hong Kong, by contrast, faces challenges like fragmented policies, high costs in local recycling industries, and slow adoption of regulatory frameworks despite government efforts such as implementing waste charging based on “polluter pays” principles.

At a more localized scale, initiatives in India and Kazakhstan show promising models through inclusive NGO-led programs and government-supported infrastructure.

India’s One Step Greener movement, started by young activists in New Delhi, combines grassroots waste sorting with engagement of informal waste collectors, recycling over 95% of collected waste with ambitions to scale.

In Almaty, Kazakhstan, the municipality promotes separate waste collection, widespread use of recycling containers, and plans a sorting complex modeled after Amsterdam’s, integrating biogas production from organic waste.

Producer Responsibility Systems (PRS), especially in countries like South Korea and across Europe, are critical to waste management success.

These systems assign clear recycling targets and financial accountability to manufacturers and importers, combining incentives and penalties.

For example, South Korea uses punitive taxes if recycling goals are unmet, while rewarding advanced environmentally friendly packaging and reuse.

Successful government roles across these examples typically include legislating mandatory sorting and recycling requirements, setting ambitious recovery targets, ensuring industry compliance via economic incentives, investing in public education and outreach, supporting private sector and NGO partnerships, and implementing enforcement mechanisms with fines and penalties.

The transition to circular economies is often gradual and regionally phased, considering socio-economic contexts and infrastructure readiness.

In conclusion, the most effective waste sorting and recycling systems worldwide integrate comprehensive legal frameworks with producer responsibility, robust government-led public education, supportive infrastructure including collection and sorting facilities, and incentives for all stakeholders.

Countries like South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, Finland, Belgium, and progressive Chinese municipalities exemplify these practices, providing valuable models for U.S. counties proposing enhancements in their waste management operations[ e30f5a74-69f7-4822-84b0-5e2ee963da7d_233172268; 1d3e986d-cbde-4b2c-b555-bbeb731eece3_1071516282; ebecff75-7911-475b-94f2-13d4cab294fa_882356058; 299ab6c9-c510-494f-8d98-5578b31b2081_234352188; 991abf56-5733-4fd9-a42c-135747ed6c40_901046766; 7f0f2b83-6e1c-45a2-be49-8b6ff632880f_215947951; d0f4c2dd-b559-4c96-9874-d8f5b7c580aa_677974735].

Additional specific data on U.S. county-level implementation examples or statistical performance comparisons would be beneficial for a fully tailored proposal.

Countries recognized for leading waste sorting and recycling demonstrate diverse approaches involving government policy, public participation, and technological innovation.

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.

Notably, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, the Netherlands, Finland, certain European nations, and cities/regions within China stand out with effective systems and practices.

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? ”.
Click here to try our weekly newsletter for more in-depth coverage.
285 issues of Hong Kong 01 e-newsletter Other exclusive highlights:
Pull gate limit or energy consumption double control? China North and South electricity shortage is the same and different
The Expectations of Lam Cheng's Final Policy Address: Regaining the Dominant Power of Development and Restructuring the Land Economy
"Left glue" opens up the land, imagines that the government is lagging behind the people.
Has the central bank 'pacified' the property market twice in a week?
Sixteen Years of Progress: The Delayed Garbage Levy Ordinance
After Meng Wanzhou's return to the motherland, the public opinion has been heated to examine Sino-US relations.
Lau Kwok-hoon: Regaining the "True Hong Kong Speed" and developing a new centre in New Territories North
Is the time for UK to relax regulation of gene editing agriculture coming?
An Interview with Chu Hsing-hsiang and Hu Kuo-hsien
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South Korea’s system, especially in Seoul, is a leading example in Asia.

Since implementing a garbage levy system in 1995, the government enforced multi-pronged waste utilization policies that reshaped waste management models and public awareness.

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 legislation mandates waste sorting and gradual extension of recycling capacities, supported by economic incentives and penalties.

Title:

Content: Producer Responsibility System Waste Reduction Policy Package in Place
Comments ‧ World Situation 2022 / 08 / 06
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On average, more than 5 million plastic beverage bottles are disposed of in landfills in Hong Kong every day, reflecting the poor results of plastic reduction and recycling.
Under the long-term initiative of environmental organizations such as Green Earth, the environmental protection department is preparing to introduce relevant producer responsibility schemes (PRS) to respond.
In simple terms, PRS usually uses financial means, such as bottle fees and glass bottle levies, to induce "producers" such as manufacturers, retailers and even consumers to shoulder their due environmental responsibility.
Effective laws and regulations are indispensable to improve the industrial chain
PRS This waste management regulation is slightly different from the common pollution control regulations. To promote source waste reduction and recycling, effective regulations and the support of the entire recycling industry chain are indispensable.
First, the recycling industry chain, which includes high-coverage front-line collection points, large and small transport fleets, adequate recycling and recycling plants, a market for valuable recycled materials, and PRS system managers.
To promote the formation and effectiveness of the recycling industry chain, we must first have "smart" regulations, in which the setting of ambitious recycling targets, attractive economic incentives (such as refunds by bottle or bottle), and a reward and punishment mechanism for manufacturers are all key elements.
For example, the EPD recently proposed that each plastic bottle should be given a refund of at least one dime, hoping to achieve a recovery rate of 40% in the first year and 75% in five years.
Is there a “tooth ” for this purpose?
Hong Kong 's plastic recycling performance is poor PRS International
Green Earth analyzed a number of countries and regions that use PRS to manage beverage containers, and concluded that the average refund amount for each plastic bottle is more than HK $1, which is 10 times less than the corner of Hong Kong.
As for the average recovery rate target for the first year of PRS, the international average is above 70%, of which 80% in South Korea in Asia and 90% in the three Nordic countries are high; even if the target is lower, Lithuania and Slovakia are also 55% and 60% respectively, which are much more positive than Hong Kong's 40%.
The reason why PRS is called producer responsibility, the key word is the word "producer", which means that this stakeholder is responsible.
I would like to remind the environmental protection department that the recycling responsibilities of manufacturers and importers must not be missed.
The most direct approach is to set up an adequate reward and punishment mechanism to ensure that if the manufacturer fails to meet the recycling target, it must bear the responsibility, so that it can be matched with the "responsibility system".
Set up incentive mechanism to encourage manufacturers to respond positively
South Korea, a model student of high plastic bottle recycling, has adopted the Pigouvian Tax: if the market fails to meet the 80% recycling target, producers, importers and PRS system administrators have to pay the corresponding punitive tax on a proportional basis.
The author also believes that, in fairness, if the recycling rate exceeds the target, or the market adopts a considerable plastic reduction package (such as naked buy, reuse container sales), there should be corresponding incentives to promote the positive response of manufacturers and create a source of plastic reduction culture.
At a time when the Government has not yet submitted the PRS Bill to the Legislative Council, the Legislative Council (especially the Panel on Environmental Affairs) has the responsibility to monitor the quality of the policy and request the Administration to respond positively to the following key points:
1. Disclose the results of the EPD ’ s 2021 plastic bottle public consultation, including supporting the proportion of different refund amounts;
2. Keep up with the international standard, the minimum refund amount should start at HK $1;
Third, update the recovery rate target: 70% in the first year of policy implementation, and increase to 90% in three years;
Fourth, set up a review mechanism: if the recycling target is not reached within the deadline, then increase the legal minimum amount of refunded bottles, increase the economic incentive; at the same time, compared with the Piguet tax, manufacturers, importers, PRS system managers must be jointly responsible for the failure to meet the target.
Author: Liu Zhaolang Senior Project Director, Green Earth
Column name: GREEN FORUM
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South Korea also employs the Pigouvian tax on producers failing to meet high recycling targets (e.g., 80% on plastic bottles), promoting producer responsibility through a robust legislation framework and rewarding manufacturers exceeding goals.

This systemic approach has elevated South Korea's recycling rates above 80% for some materials, making it a model for others in the region.

Taiwan established early household waste sorting with dedicated collection vehicles (yellow trucks for recyclables, white trucks for food waste and other materials).

Initiated by its 1997 “Resource Recovery 4-in-1 Program,” the government coordinated manufacturers, consumers, licensed recyclers, and local agencies through an equitable cost-sharing mechanism and vigorous outreach.

Taiwan's comprehensive system achieved significant recycling success, helping turnaround its waste management landscape from lagging behind Hong Kong to leading it.

Singapore, despite its small size similar to Hong Kong, operates a centralized, professional waste management system under license by the National Environment Agency.

Waste is meticulously sorted into paper, plastic, glass, metal, and garden waste categories, followed by incineration plants reducing waste volume by about 90%, with minimal landfill use.

In 2020, Singapore achieved a solid waste recycling rate of 51.7%, exemplifying effective integration of technology and regulation.

Japan is historically the best performer in waste sorting, enforcing strict laws over decades to cultivate public participation and advanced recycling technologies.

For example, Japan's e-waste recycling programs recovered significant amounts of precious metals from household appliances for reuse.

Title:

Content: Point of wisdom: waste disposal
Font Size:
“Regenerating the available resources is a virtue … ”
Japan is one of the best countries in the world in terms of garbage sorting since 1980. Since April 1, 2017, it has taken two years to extract from 78,985 metric tons of white household appliances (mainly washing machines, refrigerators, etc.) and 6.21 million mobile phones. Out of 32 kg of pure gold, 3500 kg of pure silver and 2200 kg of pure copper, to create the 5000 Olympic medals to be awarded.
Through this plan, the Japanese government let the global public understand the importance of e-waste reuse, and improve the recycling rate of e-waste, of which 32 kilograms of gold is recycled and refined, the market price is more than S $2.19 million, making many people exclaim that the humble e-waste in life has huge value.
In order to reduce electronic waste, Austria launched electronic product repair vouchers, and the Dutch design team turned it into office furniture.
Austrian citizens can download maintenance vouchers to subsidize the repair cost of electronic products such as smart phones, laptops or dishwashers, and the subsidy amount is 50% of the repair cost, capped at about S $290, hoping to change the consumption habits of people.
The design team in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, promotes the “Ore Stream ” project, which uses electronic waste to make avant-garde office furniture.
For example, the computer casing forms a storage cabinet, and the aluminum plate is made into a chair, and is decorated by some mobile phone parts.
Implementation
In addition to resource recycling, we can do some small things in life to help implement the concept of environmental protection, such as: eat, use moderately, buy more do not become garbage; use more porcelain cups, environmental bowls, less paper cups and no washing tableware; bathe without bath, take a shower; do not throw things casually, reduce the production of garbage; home lighting equipment to save electric light bulbs, and develop the habit; Automatically turn on the temperature; recycle newspapers and oil you have seen; bring your own back bag or shopping bag when buying vegetables or groceries, and choose less packaged items.
Maintain the car well, not to let it smoke; often check the tires, because the lack of inflation tire is easy to break and consume oil; walk more, ride more bicycles; drive less, try to use public transport; promote subway, bus and cycling sports, and buy equipment and stationery made of recyclable materials.
QUALITY
According to statistics, it takes ten years to plant a tree, but only a few minutes to cut a tree; babies from birth to two years old must use 20 trees for diapers; for every ton of waste paper recovered, 20 logs can be cut eight meters high and 14 centimeters in diameter; and recycled paper can be used to cut about 400,000 logs a month.
Therefore, recycled paper made of recycled paper can be recycled, in addition to reducing the amount of trees cut down, but also indirectly save water.
Some people have said such things: "The average life expectancy of human beings is getting longer and shorter, and the life expectancy of nature is getting shorter and shorter." Because of human health care and endless desire, nature's resources are limited and limited, it is really unbearable for human beings to continue to destroy such things.
If everyone is environmentally conscious and implements it in life, the earth will gradually recuperate and we can have a good and healthy quality of life.
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The government’s electronic product repair voucher system subsidizes repairs to extend product life, fostering a circular economy culture.

In Europe, countries like Belgium lead in citizen sorting participation (91% of population sorting waste).

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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In the Netherlands, Amsterdam operates advanced waste sorting plants using infrared scanning and automation to separate recyclables from mixed waste efficiently.

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Content: • Text size
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Today, 08: 26
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Photo: photo by Alexander Shahbazov
New approaches to waste management developed in Almaty
New approaches to waste management have been developed in Almaty.
In the metropolis already conduct a separate collection of solid household waste.
BaigeNews.kz learned about the prospects of separate garbage collection and the goals of the Almaty authorities for waste management.
In Almaty, there are more and more people who consciously approach the emission of household waste, sort waste for further processing and even carry waste from cardboard, paper and plastic to special reception points.
Conscious citizens admit that when properly sorted, a bag of recyclable waste is most often larger than a bag of other waste that cannot yet be recycled in the country.
For example, today in Kazakhstan do not recycle tetrapacks, and they still go to the basket with non-recyclable garbage.
The Akimat of Almaty supports such initiatives in every possible way and has already put more than a thousand special containers on the sites in the yards next to ordinary tanks.
In appearance, they look like an iron mesh box, and here residents can put such waste that is already processed in the city - plastic, paper (waste paper), glass, metal, cellophane and rags.
In the near future, there will be another 454 such containers in the city.
In addition, Almaty residents have access to 37 waste collection points that can be recycled.
In particular, one of the plants in Almaty produces polyethylene granules and stretch film from secondary raw materials.
At the waste sorting complex in Almaty, everything that can be recycled is taken away and sent to production.
Now 13 organizations are cooperating with this complex to process the selected recyclables.
The remaining waste is removed for burial, taking into account the norms of environmental legislation, to the landfill located in the village of Aytey, Karaysai district, Almaty region.
According to the statistics of the akimat of Almaty, more than 1200 tons of solid household waste are processed in the metropolis per day, of which 17% are processed.
Ecologist Mels Eleusizov believes that landfills in the Almaty region and the whole country should be closed and reclaimed so as not to be a “time bomb ” for the ecology and health of the inhabitants of Kazakhstan.
And sorting household waste of the population, he proposes to carry out in the yards manually.
"Today Almaty" produces "waste containing about 40 types of materials that can be recycled.
I have long proposed to organize sorting points on garbage sites so that employees manually sort waste and then in this form would be sent for processing.
This would provide not only smart waste management, but also new jobs, ” says Mels Eleusizov.
In developed European countries, landfills have been forgotten for a long time.
Here, at the state level, a hierarchy of values in relation to waste is built.
The main principle is to reduce the volume of "production" of garbage.
Those waste that still remain, sort and only what is already impossible to recycle, safely burned, getting energy used in the city.
At a special waste sorting plant in the capital of the Netherlands - Amsterdam bring all the waste of citizens and enterprises.
Here, with the help of a new technology - infrared scanning, waste is automatically taken from a huge pile that can be recycled.
Suitable as a secondary raw material waste is sent with a pressed form for processing to other enterprises.
The rest of the waste will have to be burned here to get steam and send it to heat houses and heat hot water, as well as generate electricity.
Burning garbage occurs in compliance with all environmental standards, measurements are 24 / 7, and if the excess of safe concentrations of harmful substances is recorded, the entire complex is immediately stopped.
What comes out of the pipe, according to experts, you can breathe, in the Netherlands and the EU very strict requirements for emissions.
The remaining ash is not buried, but is completely used for asphalt production, another sludge is sent for burial in special underground mines in neighboring Germany.
Speaking about sorting garbage, employees of the waste sorting plant in Amsterdam (AEB) say that residents of apartment buildings in megacities, even in Europe, can not sort all the garbage, so in Amsterdam, residents throw away only plastic, paper (waste paper) separately.
All the rest of the garbage will be sorted out by the automatic garbage sorting system at the garbage sorting plant.
“There is an opinion that if people at home sort the garbage, then you can get more recyclables for recycling.
But we have seen in practice that new technologies make it possible to sort garbage collected in a heap at a factory even better than if people in apartment buildings sorted 100 percent of their waste.
But in private houses in Amsterdam, the tenants themselves completely sort the waste, and he does not even go to our garbage sorting complex, but goes straight to processing.
In principle, there are very few landfills for waste disposal in the country, and none of them are currently used for disposal of waste from households.
There are several mines for the disposal of waste such as ash, but their negligible amount, ” said the manager of the waste sorting plant Amsterdam (AEB) Cohen Bytink.
Almaty and Almaty region jointly plan to adopt best practices.
Similar to the Amsterdam garbage sorting complex is promised to be built on the existing garbage sorting complex in the Ili district.
In the next few years, they will not only select waste for usable and not recyclable, but also get biogas from them.
The expected capacity of the plant is 120 thousand tons per year, and the construction will be carried out by a Kazakh-Spanish company.
In addition, the city is beginning to collect food waste, and they are also promised to use it for the production of biogas, and this is in line with the plans of Amsterdam, where they do not yet do anything with food waste, and also, as in Almaty, they plan to produce biogas from them.
photos by Alexander Shahbazov
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Landfill use is minimal, with residual waste incinerated under stringent emissions standards; ash is reused in construction or safely disposed of in underground mines in Germany.

These approaches emphasize waste hierarchy: reduction, reuse, sorting, recycling, and energy recovery with minimized landfill usage.

Finland exemplifies almost complete recycling with only 1% of waste landfilled, achieved through strong cooperation between central and local governments and high public awareness.

Title:

Content: Ukraine will deepen cooperation with Finland in the direction of household waste management.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Regional Development, this was announced by the Minister of Communities and Territories Alexey Chernyshov during a meeting with the Ambassador of the Republic of Finland to Ukraine Päivi Laine.
It is noted that in Finland, only 1% of waste ends up in landfills, the vast majority is recycled.
This is the result of the interaction of the central and local authorities, as well as the awareness of citizens
Ukraine is also planning to adopt this experience.
“Finland is a country that demonstrates high standards of environmental waste management.
Almost all the citizens of this country sort the garbage.
As a result, 99% of household waste is recycled.
This experience will be useful for Ukraine.
So, a similar process is already underway in hromadas - in 1725 settlements of our state, a separate collection of household waste has been introduced.
But it is necessary to scale this direction and introduce useful practices of international partners in the country, "Chernyshov said.
Read alsoIn the Odessa region on the Danube, the dam is destroyed - under it meter voids In the press service reminded that thanks to the implementation of separate collection of garbage in 2020, about 6.3% of household waste was recycled and disposed of in Ukraine.
In turn, Laine noted that Finland is ready to share experience and help Ukrainian communities to implement waste processing projects.
“We also have companies that recycle waste into energy.
In such a comprehensive way, we improve the ecology of our country, ” she added.
Waste recycling in Ukraine
As UNIAN reported, in July 2020, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted in the first reading the draft law No. 2207-1-d “On waste management ”.
The document establishes the procedure for the collection, removal and treatment of waste, ensures the introduction of their separate collection and recycling, provides for the requirements for the quality of the provision of waste management services and the charging of fees for such a service.

The Finnish system includes companies specializing in waste-to-energy processes, further enhancing sustainability.

Chinese cities like Shanghai have implemented stringent waste separation laws since 2019, mandating households and entities to sort waste into four categories with significant fines for non-compliance.

Public resistance initially occurred, but enforcement has resulted in improved environmental outcomes.

Hong Kong, by contrast, faces challenges like fragmented policies, high costs in local recycling industries, and slow adoption of regulatory frameworks despite government efforts such as implementing waste charging based on “polluter pays” principles.

At a more localized scale, initiatives in India and Kazakhstan show promising models through inclusive NGO-led programs and government-supported infrastructure.

India’s One Step Greener movement, started by young activists in New Delhi, combines grassroots waste sorting with engagement of informal waste collectors, recycling over 95% of collected waste with ambitions to scale.

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Content: Published: 04/19/2024

A conversation with Vihaan Agarwal (’26), who along with his brother is revolutionizing recycling in India to protect human health and the environment.

By Jamie Hansen, Global Health Communications Manager

Cover photo courtesy of Vihaan Agarwal, One Step Greener

Vihaan Agarwal (‘26) fell in love with nature from an early age. As a toddler growing up in New Delhi, India, he grasped for the flash cards with pictures of birds and later adopted his grandfather’s passion for nature photography. He and his younger brother always requested trips to parks and wildlife refuges, and he still remembers with awe sighting a leopard striding across a majestic old gate in Ranthambore National Park.

So when worsening air pollution driven by trash-burning in landfills threatened both his health and ability to enjoy the natural world, he took action. At age 14, he and his 11-year-old brother Nav began organizing their neighborhood to sort trash and deliver what couldn’t be composted to recycling companies — thereby diverting it from landfills.

That movement grew into One Step Greener, an environmental nonprofit and social initiative working toward a zero-waste future through waste management, recycling, education, and tree planting. They also prioritize providing dignified, safe jobs to workers in the informal waste collection sector. Today, they serve more than 25,000 households for whom they have recycled about 600,000 kilograms of waste, meanwhile planting more than 40,000 trees. In 2021, the brothers received the International Children’s Peace Prize for their work.

Now a sophomore at Stanford, Agarwal continues to expand One Step Greener’s impact while pursuing his education with a focus on sustainability and international relations. While juggling coursework with 3:00am Zoom calls to New Delhi isn’t always easy, he’s energized by the ideas and resources he’s gained from fellow students and faculty.

 “A lot of the ideas I have for taking the organization forward wouldn’t be possible if I wasn’t here at Stanford,” he said.

He shared with us his story and insights for creating positive change that benefits people and the environment, one manageable step at a time.

How did you first become passionate about addressing pollution?

Around 7th grade, I started having a lot of asthma issues at the same time that air pollution in New Delhi started getting really bad. I was deeply passionate about wildlife and the environment and really wanted to do something to solve the problem that was hitting me hardest— air pollution. I planted some trees, but my research showed me this wouldn’t have a great impact and I wanted to take it a step further. At first I didn’t see anything more I could do about it.

Then, around 8th grade, pollution grew even worse, requiring children to attend school online or wear masks to protect themselves. Around that time, I was reading a newspaper on the way to school and saw an article about a fire in the city’s largest landfill, which was causing pollution throughout the city.

In that car ride, I made the connection that my waste was ending up in this landfill, which was causing air pollution, which affected me. I knew I needed to find a way to stop my waste from ending up in landfills.

Faced with such a daunting problem, how did you get started?

I started by doing some research and learned that the best way to keep the waste out of landfills was to segregate it so that it could be more easily recycled or composted. But this research was from countries with effective management systems for the waste, which was not the case in India. There were plenty of recycling companies in India, but they recycled imported waste from other countries. The supply chain just didn’t exist for them to get the waste from households like mine.

So I started composting my wet waste at home and storing my dry waste in the backyard. There was a point when our backyard became a mini mountain of dry waste, and my grandfather told me I had to do something about it.

But when I started calling recycling companies, they had no interest in handling my small amount of waste. We have WhatsApp groups for neighborhoods in India, so I messaged ours and invited our neighbors to get involved in this green initiative. That’s around the time we came up with the name One Step Greener, because we were trying to take one step towards a cleaner future. Within two weeks about 100 people signed up, which shocked us. We realized we needed to formalize the process, as my parents had been driving me around to pick up everyone’s recycling in their car and weren’t thrilled about it. We hired a truck and driver, and started storing the recycling in a vacant apartment basement that someone donated to us.

Were there ever moments of doubt or times you felt you were in over your head?

Oh, plenty of times. I remember walking into this basement filled with trash and thinking, “what in the world am I supposed to do with all this?”

I think I was definitely scared. But I was so passionate about this because I genuinely felt like every kilogram of waste I recycled was a personal victory. As one person, I’d been able to do something that benefited the environment.

At the time, we were very young and still in school, and we were growing alongside our organization in a sense. We took advice from our grandparents and parents, and my mom was very involved in the beginning since we were so young. But mostly there was just a lot of experimentation —  going out, doing it, trying new things and figuring out how it would work. We very quickly realized we needed to set up systems by which things could work without us being involved on a day-to-day basis. We formalized our NGO and hired a supervisor and a team to segregate the waste. As the organization grew from 100 to 2,000 to now 25,000 homes we kept adding systems.

Now that you’re at Stanford, how does your education inform One Step Greener and vice versa? How are you balancing these huge demands?

It’s not always easy to balance. The time difference is most challenging. I finish my schoolwork by 9 or 10pm and I’m able to take a few meetings by the time it’s morning in India. But the main thing is that I don’t have to do a lot because so much is on autopilot. We have a proper management team and my brother back home is still there to help run things.

I am trying to add value by fundraising and using my time at Stanford to incorporate technology into the organization. We are committed to ensuring that we do our work in a green way.  For instance, the vehicles that haul the waste are electric and I’m learning to map more efficient routes.

We recycle more than 95 percent of the waste that comes to us, and the rest (mostly single-use plastic) we store, which is expensive. Now, I’m trying to figure out manufacturing processes that will allow us to recycle single-use plastic. I’m talking to friends, classmates, and professors here to learn how to create the machines we need. We’re trying to close the loop completely.

What’s your advice to others looking to take that first step to address climate change or pollution?

Find an issue that’s affecting you or that you’re deeply passionate about. Think about it and think about what you can do – not necessarily to make massive change, but what’s the first step you can take?

Climate change is such a big existential threat that the natural response is fear — to question whether we can make a difference as one person. But fear shouldn’t lead to inaction. The premise of the speech that me and my brother gave when we won the Children’s Peace Prize was “take the plunge.” Yes, these problems seem so daunting. But unless you take the plunge, you’re not going to see how much you can do and the ripples you can make.

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Agarwal will be participating in the “Pollution and Health: Generating Evidence and Catalyzing Action to Advance Human and Planetary Health” conference on May 20-21.  Learn more and register for the conference.

Anyone wishing to learn more or get involved can visit One Step Greener here.

In Almaty, Kazakhstan, the municipality promotes separate waste collection, widespread use of recycling containers, and plans a sorting complex modeled after Amsterdam’s, integrating biogas production from organic waste.

Producer Responsibility Systems (PRS), especially in countries like South Korea and across Europe, are critical to waste management success.

These systems assign clear recycling targets and financial accountability to manufacturers and importers, combining incentives and penalties.

For example, South Korea uses punitive taxes if recycling goals are unmet, while rewarding advanced environmentally friendly packaging and reuse.

Successful government roles across these examples typically include legislating mandatory sorting and recycling requirements, setting ambitious recovery targets, ensuring industry compliance via economic incentives, investing in public education and outreach, supporting private sector and NGO partnerships, and implementing enforcement mechanisms with fines and penalties.

The transition to circular economies is often gradual and regionally phased, considering socio-economic contexts and infrastructure readiness.

In conclusion, the most effective waste sorting and recycling systems worldwide integrate comprehensive legal frameworks with producer responsibility, robust government-led public education, supportive infrastructure including collection and sorting facilities, and incentives for all stakeholders.

Countries like South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, Finland, Belgium, and progressive Chinese municipalities exemplify these practices, providing valuable models for U.S. counties proposing enhancements in their waste management operations[ e30f5a74-69f7-4822-84b0-5e2ee963da7d_233172268; 1d3e986d-cbde-4b2c-b555-bbeb731eece3_1071516282; ebecff75-7911-475b-94f2-13d4cab294fa_882356058; 299ab6c9-c510-494f-8d98-5578b31b2081_234352188; 991abf56-5733-4fd9-a42c-135747ed6c40_901046766; 7f0f2b83-6e1c-45a2-be49-8b6ff632880f_215947951; d0f4c2dd-b559-4c96-9874-d8f5b7c580aa_677974735].

Additional specific data on U.S. county-level implementation examples or statistical performance comparisons would be beneficial for a fully tailored proposal.