Belgium leads the European Union in waste sorting and recycling, with 91% of the population participating.

South Korea has a well-organized waste management system, with local authorities responsible for collecting, recycling, and disposing of domestic and commercial waste.

Taiwan has introduced a waste levy policy and effective waste management system, leading to significant improvements in waste recycling.

Singapore has a professional and centralized waste recycling system, with three licensed waste management enterprises.

In Singapore, waste is classified and incineration plants reduce its volume by 90%.

Taiwan's government has implemented a "Resource Recovery 4-in-1 Program" mobilizing the government, manufacturers, consumers, and recycling enterprises in waste management.

The program has successfully promoted waste recycling in Taiwan by distributing financial costs impartially.

Seoul introduced supporting measures to change its waste treatment model and public perception after implementing a garbage levy system in 1995.

Shanghai's waste management improved significantly after the Domestic Waste Management Ordinance was implemented in 2019.

New Zealand is a nation of committed recyclers, focused on reducing waste and supporting the country's sustainability shift.

Timaru has New Zealand's largest resource recovery hub, operated by EnviroWaste, processing kerbside and commercial recycling from several district councils, handling five tonnes of material per hour.

Governments play a crucial role in promoting effective waste management, as evident in countries like Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.

The government promotes waste sorting and recycling through policies like extended producer responsibility and public education campaigns.

Implementing waste recycling systems requires collaboration between communities, private sectors, and governments to promote sustainability and incentivize participation.

Belgium leads the European Union in waste sorting and recycling, with 91% of the population participating.

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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South Korea has a well-organized waste management system, with local authorities responsible for collecting, recycling, and disposing of domestic and commercial waste.

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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Taiwan has introduced a waste levy policy and effective waste management system, leading to significant improvements in waste recycling.

Singapore has a professional and centralized waste recycling system, with three licensed waste management enterprises.

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...

In Singapore, waste is classified and incineration plants reduce its volume by 90%.

Taiwan's government has implemented a "Resource Recovery 4-in-1 Program" mobilizing the government, manufacturers, consumers, and recycling enterprises in waste management.

The program has successfully promoted waste recycling in Taiwan by distributing financial costs impartially.

Seoul introduced supporting measures to change its waste treatment model and public perception after implementing a garbage levy system in 1995.

Shanghai's waste management improved significantly after the Domestic Waste Management Ordinance was implemented in 2019.

New Zealand is a nation of committed recyclers, focused on reducing waste and supporting the country's sustainability shift.

Title:

Content: Recommended NZ | Guide to Money | Gimme: Competitions - Giveaways

Timaru’s new materials recovery facility offers local sustainability solutions

Contributor:
Fuseworks Media

South Canterbury’s waste minimisation and recycling efforts have received a major boost with the commissioning of a new $3.8 million materials recovery facility (MRF) in Timaru.

The new MRF is operated by EnviroWaste, part of the EnviroNZ group, and is the region’s biggest resource recovery hub. It takes kerbside mixed recycling from Timaru, Waimate, Mackenzie, Ashburton and Central Otago district councils, as well as commercial businesses’ recycling. Sorting mixed plastics, aluminium and steel paper and cardboard, it has the capacity to process five tonnes of material per hour.

"We’re a nation of committed recyclers - just look up and down your street on collection day," says EnviroNZ CEO Chris Aughton. "With the increasing focus on how we can reduce the waste we create and keep products and materials in use, this act of everyday environmentalism is supporting New Zealand’s sustainability shift," he says.

Household and commercial recycling requires sorting on a large scale, explains Aughton. "Our new materials recovery facility is a piece of critical regional infrastructure that expands local recycling capabilities and supports community sustainability solutions. It keeps valuable resources in circulation and reduces the amount of waste that ends up in landfill.

"By working in close partnership with local councils, together we’re able to deliver improved outcomes for the community and the environment," he says.

The opening of the next generation MRF is an important milestone for Timaru and the wider region, says Mayor Nigel Bowen. "Timaru District was ahead of the curve when it adopted its three bin system more than 15 years ago. Like nearly every sector technology has evolved and improved, so it’s great that the new contract with EnviroWaste has enabled us to build a new state of the art MRF to ensure we can continue to be sector leaders in recycling."

"This time round it’s not just Timaru District that benefits from this new facility. Through our collaboration with Waimate and Mackenzie, and now with Ashburton and Central Otago also using it, we can be a regional centre of excellence in waste management," he says.

Once sorted and separated, recyclables are sent to local and international markets so they can have a second life.

"There’s a growing number of products being made with recycled content right here in New Zealand," says Aughton. "Plastics from your recycling bin are transformed into new products that are used by the likes of food producers, farmers and the building industry, while glass bottles and jars are melted down to make new glass containers. Households are a vital link in New Zealand’s shift towards a circular economy."

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Timaru has New Zealand's largest resource recovery hub, operated by EnviroWaste, processing kerbside and commercial recycling from several district councils, handling five tonnes of material per hour.

Governments play a crucial role in promoting effective waste management, as evident in countries like Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.

The government promotes waste sorting and recycling through policies like extended producer responsibility and public education campaigns.

Implementing waste recycling systems requires collaboration between communities, private sectors, and governments to promote sustainability and incentivize participation.

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: Wednesday, 15 June, 2022, 12:33 AM
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Home Op-Ed

On solid waste management in urban areas

Published : Wednesday, 15 June, 2022 at 12:00 AM  Count : 57
Muzammel Haque

Industry is the major source of greenhouse gases that are harmful to the environment and human health because it contains toxic substances and hazardous materials. Mercury, lead, and even arsenic, which are found in e-waste and released into the environment, can cause serious illnesses and harm to those who are exposed to them.

80 percent of children working on waste sites in Bangladesh suffered from respiratory illnesses, lung diseases, and high levels of lead in their blood (ILO).

Scavenger Children working on waste sites will come into contact with these hazardous elements on a daily basis for extended periods of time. The longer and more consistent the exposure, the more likely they will become ill.

Bangladesh's urban areas generate approximately 25,000 tonnes of solid waste per day, which equates to 170 kg per capita per year.

Dhaka generates one-quarter of the country's urban waste. Due to high population growth and increased per capita waste generation, total urban solid waste is expected to reach 47,000 tonnes per day by 2025. Bangladesh's annual per capita plastic consumption in urban areas tripled to 9kg in 2020 from 3kg in 2005, according to World Bank.

Every day, millions of bags are dumped in four rivers around the Dhaka city, with a large portion of them ending up in drains, lakes, and rivers. Again, toxic chemicals and radioactive materials can be found in hospital and clinical waste.

In Bangladesh, the city corporation is primarily responsible for waste collection and management. Despite limited waste management services, door-to-door community waste collection from households to local trash cans is regarded as a success.

Informal waste recycling systems are also extremely beneficial in terms of waste recycling and job creation for the poor.

To achieve the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development Goal, urban local governments must design proper waste disposal methods and invest adequately over the next decade.

According to the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 11, we must "make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable."

One of the major areas that needs significant improvement to achieve this goal is safe waste disposal. Add to that the climate change impact of methane and CO2 from poorly managed waste: within ten years, dumpsites could be responsible for up to a tenth of manmade greenhouse gas emissions.

Bangladesh should implement a long-term strategy (consisting of five interconnected strategies research, advocacy, capacity building, communication and intervention strategies) of Climate Change and Solid Waste Management Programmes under the City Corporation.

This strategy would include a mission, vision, and theory of change, and it would be a living document that would evolve and improve over time.

Effective climate change education should be provided through a suitable and low-cost environment friendly waste management system that linked the local government and private sectors for the benefit of scavenging children and a sustainable environment.

The climate smart community's goal is to use climate adaptation and mitigation technologies with the goal of eventually converting a community to be climate-smart, which focuses on maximizing the use of natural resources without depleting the community's natural systems' capacity to be sustainable.

City Corporations have been working on another unique approach known as the 'Clean, Green, and Safe Approach,' which is applicable for both rural and urban settings, as well as in both community and schools, to ensure that children, community are sensitized to ensure that the environment is clean, green, and safe for all.

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle (3R) approach is an important component of modern waste reduction.

Collecting recyclable materials that would otherwise be considered waste, sorting and processing recyclables into raw materials such as fibers, manufacturing raw materials into new products, and purchasing recycled products are all examples of recycling.

Integrated Sustainable Waste Management (ISWM) -City Corporations should take the issue of ISWM very seriously, strengthening operational procedures, adopting innovative technologies, and involving local communities, NGOs, and private sectors in proper solid waste management.

A scientific system for organic waste collection from home to home has been established. Composting organic waste is available in some facilities across the country.

Furthermore, some farmers have joined forces to improve and expand the use and production of compost across the country. Instead, if this organic waste is composted, it could be a great source of organic fertilizer.

Anaerobic digestion is used in biogas systems to recycle organic materials, converting them into biogas, which contains both energy (gas) and valuable soil products.

Anaerobic digestion occurs naturally, in landfills, and in some livestock manure management systems, but it can be optimized, controlled, and contained with the help of an anaerobic digester.

Once capital costs are addressed and climate change adaptation, mitigation, and sustainable waste management technologies are in place, the proposed effective intervention will be self-sustaining.
Muzammel Haque, Consultant and Development Practitioner

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Overtourism causes strain on local infrastructure, environments, and communities, resulting in negative social, environmental, and economic impacts.

The term "overtourism" was chosen as the Oxford English Dictionary's 2018 word of the year, referring to the negative effects of excessive tourism.

Overtourism has affected destinations like Venice, Italy, where 50,000 locals are outnumbered by daily tourists, causing crowding and environmental issues.

European cities and islands with tourism-led economies, like Venice and Spain's Canarias, face problems including limited job opportunities, high prices, and shop homogenization due to overtourism.

The influx of tourists has caused traffic, noise, and garbage pollution, known as "tourism nuisance" in Japan.

Overtourism occurs when too many visitors to a destination cause problems like crowded roads and jammed tourist areas.

Overtourism has significant social, environmental, and economic impacts that must be addressed to ensure the long-term sustainability of tourist destinations.

Amsterdam is addressing overtourism by banning new hotels and limiting cruise ships.

Kamakura, Japan has implemented measures to decentralize transportation and reduce tourist concentration.

Destination management organizations and local governments can develop sustainable tourism strategies to balance the needs of tourists, residents, and the environment.

Implementing policies to manage tourist numbers can help mitigate overtourism's negative impacts, like overcrowding and strain on local resources.

The Ministry of Tourism is promoting sustainable tourism practices to accelerate sustainable development goals.

Strategies and public-private synergy are being explored to promote ecotourism for Sustainable Development Goals.

Community-based tourism is promoted through events like the Art and Craft Bazaar, showcasing local handicrafts and artisans.

The Ministry of Tourism promotes local products to support the local economy and community-based tourism.

Overtourism causes strain on local infrastructure, environments, and communities, resulting in negative social, environmental, and economic impacts.

Title:

Content: Point of view
Lin Chi-yin
Lin Chi-yin: "Traveling Everywhere" and "Over-Travel"
Earlier, the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Hsia Baolong, advocated the concept of “travel everywhere ” to fully explore Hong Kong ’ s tourism resources.
To speed up the implementation of the concept, the authorities are planning to set up a "special class" to bring together people inside and outside the Government for in-depth discussions.
In recent days, officials and legislators have expressed their views on the development of "red tourism", exploring new spots in the community, beautifying the streets, and presenting some scenes in the movies.
Simply put, it may be the story behind the attraction, or the accumulated word of mouth on social media, and every tree and grass anywhere can become a tourist attraction.
Of course, the author hopes that the "class" can launch various new ideas; and since the task of the class is to implement the concept of "travel everywhere", then how to implement the concept is the best for Hong Kong, the industry, the community and the public, the class can not ignore.
The University of Hong Kong campus has been forced by tourists, and the school has implemented reservation measures this month.
HKU itself has a complete management structure, and the university can still implement crowd control according to the situation. However, if some scenic spots that go deep into the community or even close to residential buildings are really "red hot", it may not be easy to implement crowd control.
“Everywhere travel ” is a concept, the key to implementation lies in the ability of the authorities to foresee problems. If you rely only on“ see and see ”, it is very likely that good things will turn into bad things.
“Aggressive ” Travel
In 2018, the word “overtourism ” was chosen as the Oxford English Dictionary ’ s word of the year, referring to the negative effects of overloading the area, declining quality of life and environmental damage caused by the influx of tourists to tourist attractions.
For example, Venice, Italy, which has long been affected by “overtourism ”, is not a“ once in a lifetime ” – the local population is only 50,000, and the number of daily tourists has exceeded the local population; during peak season, the number of daily visitors has even doubled.
I have friends who visited the place more than a decade ago, and they all agreed to say that people are crowded and will not go again.
In addition to Venice, some European cities or small islands with a tourism-led economy (such as the Canarias in Spain) also face the problem of job opportunities, high prices, and a homogenization of shops. Multinational companies invest heavily in hotels and holiday cottages, which also lead to higher rents, which locals can ’ t afford.
Even if tourism brings a lot of jobs to the region, it does not mean that the average person can earn a living wage.
People in these places understand the importance of tourism to the local economy, but they do not want the tourism industry to be unlimited, resulting in the resources of the whole place are only for the service of tourists.
"Tourism Hazards" and How to Deal with them
In Japanese society after the epidemic, a similar term, "tourism nuisance", has also appeared to describe problems such as traffic, noise, nuisance, and garbage pollution caused by too many tourists.
This phenomenon, in addition to the popularity of exchange rates, affordable air tickets, and people's desire to travel after the epidemic, social media will also have the effect of focusing on specific hot spots.
In the era of image-led, everyone can follow the picture, some places that were not originally planned as tourist attractions have begun to face sudden overcrowding.
Hong Kong people who love to visit Japan will not be unfamiliar with two “attractions ”: the Daokou near Enojima Electric Railway ’ s Kamakura University Station, and a Lawson convenience store in Kawaguchi-cho.
The former is the "holy place" of the popular manga "When Men are in the bottle". In recent years, the crossing has been congested with traffic due to frequent visits by tourists to "punch", local people can not get on the electric train, and some tourists are dangerous for taking good photos. Lawson is also a "punch" attraction, and the picture is a convenience store with a beautiful view of Mount Fuji. of tourists are constantly crossing the road and parking without permission, causing local residents to feel troubled.
Too many tourists can also lead to a decline in the quality of service, even in Japan, which values the spirit of “work people ”.
When I visited Japan last year, I saw some shops find ways to deal with “tourism hazards ” on their own, such as not allowing diners to take photos in the store, so that after the photos are uploaded to social media, it will cause more people to come and see them; limiting the number of diners to the number of people that the staff can serve, even if the seats are not full.
However, some tourists always find it difficult to understand the intentions behind these arrangements, and I have heard some tourists complain: "Obviously there is still a place, why not let us sit?"
When these conflicts can no longer be handled by businesses and residents themselves, how to strike a balance between “tourism ” and“ public nuisance ” will gradually become a policy issue.
The most extreme way to deal with it is to “eliminate ” popular attractions – coincidentally, the authorities of Kawaguchiko recently erected a 20-meter-long and 2.5-meter-high“ black curtain ” in front of Lawson to drive away tourists who came to take photos.
The reason why the authorities have to take extreme measures is that management alone can not prevent tourists from rushing out of the road, which is actually to "play the spot".
In addition, there are more and more tourist cities and hotspots charging tourists "admission fees" or "admission fees", but this method can not play a large role.
In Venice, for example, the city has been charging a 5 euro entry fee (about HK $42) to “overnight ” travelers since last month.
However, these fees simply cannot curb the huge demand for tourists, and the revenue is mainly used as a financial source to cope with "excessive travel", which can only cure the symptoms, not the root cause.
The Real Meaning of “Travel Everywhere ”
At this point, some people may point out that the above problems will only become problems if we succeed in attracting tourists to Hong Kong; what we have to focus on is how to get more people to come to Hong Kong.
However, how much tourism can bring to a city depends on the management and policies of the city, not on the remedial measures that can be taken.
Although the share of tourism industry in Hong Kong's economy is far less than that of the "tourist city" mentioned above, Hong Kong can't wait to see that other places are looking for countermeasures for the "tourism nuisance", and even start to turn to attack, redefine the tourism industry from the planning level and actively promote tourist education.
In Amsterdam, the Netherlands, for example, the government announced last month that it would ban new hotels and limit the number of cruise ships to return the city to a livable and tourism-friendly city. In Kamakura, Japan, people are no longer concentrated at certain points by decentralizing transportation (such as the launch of electric tricycle rental business) and proactively promoting multiple circumnavigation routes (such as the travel routes at 13 locations of Kamakura Shogunate).
The main disadvantage of post-event remediation is that the difficulty and cost of solving the problem are greatly increased, which will also affect the experience of tourists. More than 10 years ago, the North District of Hong Kong also experienced a pharmacy every few steps, and the situation of residents in the North District driving out water consignors on their own, which hurt the feelings of the people of the two places.
In particular, there are many policy issues that can be foreseen in advance, and we do not have to go through them personally before we know what the problem is (for example, the legal problems faced by cleaners under the garbage levy will not be known until the moment of trial).
Since there is a great deal of experience and policy measures in various places to refer to, the “Special Class ” must also strike a balance between tourism and city operations when formulating tourist routes and supporting packages, otherwise the attraction will only lead to losses. After the city of Kamakura solved the problem of overcrowding of tourists, the tourism industry representative of Kanagawa Prefecture (that is, the seat of Kamakura City) pointed out:“ Attraction is not tourism. ” The amount of time it takes to win is certainly not appropriate.
“Travel Everywhere ” is not just about adding tourist attractions, but promoting quality tourism in a more nuanced and proactive way to avoid problems.
The author is a public policy consultant.
■ Articles
1.
Forum version is open park, welcome to submit.
Forum articles are limited to 2300 words. Please email to forum @ mingpao.com, fax: 2898 3783.
2. The editor of this paper reserves the right to delete the article based on the space limit, but in order to maintain the main points and positions of the article as the principle; if you do not want the article to be deleted, please indicate.
3.
Please attach the author's real name and contact information (can be published under a pen name), please do not submit one manuscript twice; if not applicable, without prior notice, except for those with postage return, this paper will not return the manuscript.
4.
Note to Contributors: Once an article is published, we have exclusive local rights to publish the article in Chinese. This right also includes the right to republish the article in local and overseas media (including electronic media, such as Internet sites).
In addition, we have the right to grant the right to use the copy of the article to the relevant copying authorizing companies and organizations.
The above rights in this paper do not affect the copyright of the contributor and their rights and interests.
(Criticism of current affairs articles published by this website is aimed at pointing out errors or deficiencies in relevant systems, policies or measures, with the aim of correcting or eliminating such errors or deficiencies, and improving them through lawful means, with no intention of inciting hatred, dissatisfaction or hostility towards the Government or other communities)
[Lin Chi-yin]
Previous / Next News

The term "overtourism" was chosen as the Oxford English Dictionary's 2018 word of the year, referring to the negative effects of excessive tourism.

Overtourism has affected destinations like Venice, Italy, where 50,000 locals are outnumbered by daily tourists, causing crowding and environmental issues.

European cities and islands with tourism-led economies, like Venice and Spain's Canarias, face problems including limited job opportunities, high prices, and shop homogenization due to overtourism.

The influx of tourists has caused traffic, noise, and garbage pollution, known as "tourism nuisance" in Japan.

Overtourism occurs when too many visitors to a destination cause problems like crowded roads and jammed tourist areas.

Title:

Content:
Menu

Sedona Film Festival presents ‘Crowded Out’

“Crowded Out” is a powerful short documentary exploring over-tourism, featuring interviews with local residents and global experts. (Image provided by SIFF)

Originally Published: September 14, 2022 8:43 p.m.

The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the third film in its four-week Sustainable Tourism Film Series. “Crowded Out: The Story of Overtourism” will show on Thursday, Sept. 22 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre at 4 p.m. The event will also include a selection of “Sustainable Travel: Where Next?” short films along with a panel discussion.

“Crowded Out” is a powerful short documentary exploring overtourism, featuring interviews with local residents and global experts.

Overtourism occurs when there are too many visitors to a particular destination. When rent prices push out local tenants to make way for holiday rentals, when narrow roads become jammed with tourist vehicles, when tourists cannot view landmarks because of the crowds – these are all signs of overtourism.

And it is the backlash from local residents that has made overtourism news. Cities such as Barcelona, Venice and Dubrovnik, and places once thought of as remote such as Iceland and Skye have suffered firsthand, and the protests by local residents have spread.

There has been decades of virtually uncontrolled growth, and it has crossed a threshold: in many destinations, tourism now demonstrably creates more problems than benefits.

This special event will also include a selection of short films from “Sustainable Travel: Where Next?” This series includes short-form documentary films, featuring insightful stories from the global travel and tourism sector showing how they are driving sustainable travel and protecting these precious destinations.

Following the screenings, there will be a panel discussion with representatives the City of Sedona, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce, Keep Sedona Beautiful and the tourism and hospitality industry here.

“Crowded Out: The Story of Overtourism” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 4 p.m. Tickets are $12, or $9 for Film Festival members. For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona. For more information, visit: www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.

The final film in the Sustainable Tourism Series is:

Thursday, Sept. 29 at 4 p.m. “Vendemmia”

Overtourism has significant social, environmental, and economic impacts that must be addressed to ensure the long-term sustainability of tourist destinations.

Amsterdam is addressing overtourism by banning new hotels and limiting cruise ships.

Kamakura, Japan has implemented measures to decentralize transportation and reduce tourist concentration.

Destination management organizations and local governments can develop sustainable tourism strategies to balance the needs of tourists, residents, and the environment.

Title:

Content:     Tourism & Travel

    Third G20 Tourism Meeting To Be Organized From 22nd To 24th May At Srinagar

    The Hawk
    May19/ 2023

    New Delhi (The Hawk): The third G20 Tourism Working Group meeting, will be held from 22nd to 24th May 2023 in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. This was informed by Secretary, Ministry of Tourism Shri Arvind Singh while addressing a press conference in New Delhi today.

    Giving details, Sh Arvind Singh said that the stage is set for discussions and deliberations on finals deliverables and there are two key deliverables of the Tourism Working Group, which include GOA Roadmap for Tourism as a vehicle for achieving sustainable development goals and G20 Tourism Ministers’ Declaration.

    Sh Arvind Singh further said that during this meeting, G20 member countries, invited countries, and international organizations will give valuable inputs and feedback on these two draft documents and after negotiations with G20 Member Countries on these drafts, final versions will be placed in the fourth Tourism Working Group meeting and Ministerial meeting. Under India’s G20 Tourism Track, the Tourism Working Group is working on five inter-connected priority areas, which are Green Tourism; Digitalization; Skills ; MSMEs ; Destination These priorities are key building blocks for accelerating the transition of the tourism sector and achieve the targets for 2030 SDGs.

    Shri Arvind Singh said that a side event on 'Film Tourism for Economic Growth and Cultural Preservation' will be organized on 22nd and 23rd May 2023, focusing on strategies to promote film tourism. The event will witness the participation of G20 member countries, invited countries, international organizations, and industry stakeholders. He also said that a draft 'National Strategy on Film Tourism' will be unveiled to provide a roadmap for harnessing the role of films in promoting tourist destinations.

    A panel discussion featuring esteemed speakers from G20 Member countries, Invited Countries will shed light on country-specific enablers and challenges in promoting destinations through films.

    The Tourism Secretary also informed that along the sidelines of the main event, a national level side event will be organized along with FICCI which will focus on 'Promoting Incredible India through Film Tourism,' offering states and union territories an opportunity to share their policies and best practices that have facilitated the development of film tourism. Industry stakeholders will also provide suggestions on encouraging filmmakers to shoot in various locations across the country.

    Shri Arvind Singh said that the Ministry of Tourism has also planned a side event along with CII on 'Ecotourism as a vehicle to achieve Sustainable Development Goal' which will explore effective strategies, best practices, and synergy between the public and private sectors to accelerate efforts towards sustainable development goals.

    Noteworthy presentations will be given by experts and representatives from wildlife organizations, industry associations. Delegates will also have the opportunity to experience the local attractions.

    During the 3rd Tourism Working Group meeting, the delegates will also visit the Art and Craft Bazaar organized by the State Government showcasing local handicrafts, work of artisans, signifying the importance of community participation. The Delegates will also have ‘hands-on’ experience through DIY Activities at the Craft Bazaar.

    The Ministry of Tourism is also promoting local products of Jammu and Kashmir by handing below souvenirs to Delegates from ODOP.

    Paper Mache Box is the common themes that appear on Kashmiri paper mache products include flowers, box patterns

    Saffron from Pampore - Srinagar, is referred to as the 'saffron capital of India'.

    Kawa cups and Brass Spoon - It has been a part of Kashmir’s cuisine since ages.

    Walnuts are from Anantnag, Shopian and Kupwara - Walnuts of Kashmir, are popular across India and even exported around the world.

    This G20 Tourism Working Group meeting in Srinagar aims to strengthen economic growth, preserve cultural heritage, and promote sustainable development of the region The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, welcomes the participation of delegates from G20 member countries, invited countries, and international organizations to collectively work towards advancing the tourism sector and achieving the UN sustainable development goals 2030.

    The G20 event presents a unique opportunity to highlight the tourism potential and cultural richness of the region.

    A detailed presentation about the event was also made by Additional Secretary, Sh Rakesh Verma. OSD, Tourism Smt V. Vidyavathi was also present at the media briefing.

    Categories :Tourism & TravelTags :G20 Tourism

Implementing policies to manage tourist numbers can help mitigate overtourism's negative impacts, like overcrowding and strain on local resources.

The Ministry of Tourism is promoting sustainable tourism practices to accelerate sustainable development goals.

Strategies and public-private synergy are being explored to promote ecotourism for Sustainable Development Goals.

Community-based tourism is promoted through events like the Art and Craft Bazaar, showcasing local handicrafts and artisans.

The Ministry of Tourism promotes local products to support the local economy and community-based tourism.


Overtourism has become a significant issue in many parts of the world, causing strain on local infrastructure, environments, and communities, and resulting in negative social, environmental, and economic impacts.

The term "overtourism" was chosen as the Oxford English Dictionary's word of the year in 2018, referring to the negative effects of overloading the area, declining quality of life, and environmental damage caused by the influx of tourists to tourist attractions.

Overtourism has affected various destinations, including Venice, Italy, where the local population is only 50,000, and the number of daily tourists has exceeded the local population, causing crowding and environmental issues.

In addition to Venice, other European cities and small islands with a tourism-led economy, such as the Canarias in Spain, face problems like job opportunities, high prices, and a homogenization of shops due to overtourism.

The influx of tourists has also caused traffic congestion, noise pollution, and garbage pollution, leading to a phenomenon known as "tourism nuisance" in Japanese society.

Overtourism occurs when there are too many visitors to a particular destination, leading to problems such as crowded roads, jammed tourist vehicles, and tourists unable to view landmarks due to the crowds.

The social, environmental, and economic impacts of overtourism are significant, and it is essential to address these issues to ensure the long-term sustainability of tourist destinations.

The city of Amsterdam has taken measures to address overtourism by banning new hotels and limiting the number of cruise ships to return the city to a livable and tourism-friendly state.

In Kamakura, Japan, the city has implemented measures like decentralizing transportation and promoting multiple circumnavigation routes to reduce the concentration of tourists at certain points.

The main disadvantage of post-event remediation is that the difficulty and cost of solving the problem are greatly increased, which will also affect the experience of tourists.

It is essential to strike a balance between tourism and city operations when formulating tourist routes and supporting packages to avoid the negative consequences of overtourism.

Destination management organizations and local governments can balance the needs of tourists, local residents, and the environment by developing and implementing sustainable tourism strategies that prioritize the well-being of all stakeholders.

The use of data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) can help identify areas of high tourism impact by analyzing large datasets on tourist numbers, demographics, and behavior.

These technologies can also be used to develop predictive models that forecast tourist demand and identify potential areas of high impact, allowing for proactive planning and management.

Stakeholder engagement is crucial in addressing overtourism, and strategies such as community-based tourism, sustainable tourism planning, and collaborative governance can be used to ensure that local residents, businesses, and other stakeholders are involved in the decision-making process.

The implementation of policies and regulations to manage tourist numbers and distribute them more evenly throughout the year can help mitigate the negative impacts of overtourism, such as overcrowding and strain on local resources.

The Ministry of Tourism is promoting sustainable tourism practices through events and meetings, such as the 3rd Tourism Working Group meeting, which aims to accelerate efforts towards sustainable development goals.

Effective strategies, best practices, and synergy between the public and private sectors are being explored to promote ecotourism as a vehicle to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.

Experts and representatives from wildlife organizations and industry associations are sharing their knowledge and experiences to support sustainable tourism practices.

Community-based tourism is being promoted through events such as the Art and Craft Bazaar, which showcases local handicrafts and the work of artisans, highlighting the importance of community participation.

The promotion of local products, such as souvenirs, is being done by the Ministry of Tourism to support the local economy and encourage community-based tourism.

Hands-on experiences, such as DIY activities, are being offered to delegates to engage them with local culture and promote community-based tourism.

The search results do not provide a comprehensive overview of the causes and consequences of overtourism, but they do highlight the importance of promoting sustainable tourism practices, such as ecotourism and community-based tourism.

Overtourism has become a significant issue in many parts of the world, causing strain on local infrastructure, environments, and communities, and resulting in negative social, environmental, and economic impacts.

Title:

Content: Point of view
Lin Chi-yin
Lin Chi-yin: "Traveling Everywhere" and "Over-Travel"
Earlier, the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Hsia Baolong, advocated the concept of “travel everywhere ” to fully explore Hong Kong ’ s tourism resources.
To speed up the implementation of the concept, the authorities are planning to set up a "special class" to bring together people inside and outside the Government for in-depth discussions.
In recent days, officials and legislators have expressed their views on the development of "red tourism", exploring new spots in the community, beautifying the streets, and presenting some scenes in the movies.
Simply put, it may be the story behind the attraction, or the accumulated word of mouth on social media, and every tree and grass anywhere can become a tourist attraction.
Of course, the author hopes that the "class" can launch various new ideas; and since the task of the class is to implement the concept of "travel everywhere", then how to implement the concept is the best for Hong Kong, the industry, the community and the public, the class can not ignore.
The University of Hong Kong campus has been forced by tourists, and the school has implemented reservation measures this month.
HKU itself has a complete management structure, and the university can still implement crowd control according to the situation. However, if some scenic spots that go deep into the community or even close to residential buildings are really "red hot", it may not be easy to implement crowd control.
“Everywhere travel ” is a concept, the key to implementation lies in the ability of the authorities to foresee problems. If you rely only on“ see and see ”, it is very likely that good things will turn into bad things.
“Aggressive ” Travel
In 2018, the word “overtourism ” was chosen as the Oxford English Dictionary ’ s word of the year, referring to the negative effects of overloading the area, declining quality of life and environmental damage caused by the influx of tourists to tourist attractions.
For example, Venice, Italy, which has long been affected by “overtourism ”, is not a“ once in a lifetime ” – the local population is only 50,000, and the number of daily tourists has exceeded the local population; during peak season, the number of daily visitors has even doubled.
I have friends who visited the place more than a decade ago, and they all agreed to say that people are crowded and will not go again.
In addition to Venice, some European cities or small islands with a tourism-led economy (such as the Canarias in Spain) also face the problem of job opportunities, high prices, and a homogenization of shops. Multinational companies invest heavily in hotels and holiday cottages, which also lead to higher rents, which locals can ’ t afford.
Even if tourism brings a lot of jobs to the region, it does not mean that the average person can earn a living wage.
People in these places understand the importance of tourism to the local economy, but they do not want the tourism industry to be unlimited, resulting in the resources of the whole place are only for the service of tourists.
"Tourism Hazards" and How to Deal with them
In Japanese society after the epidemic, a similar term, "tourism nuisance", has also appeared to describe problems such as traffic, noise, nuisance, and garbage pollution caused by too many tourists.
This phenomenon, in addition to the popularity of exchange rates, affordable air tickets, and people's desire to travel after the epidemic, social media will also have the effect of focusing on specific hot spots.
In the era of image-led, everyone can follow the picture, some places that were not originally planned as tourist attractions have begun to face sudden overcrowding.
Hong Kong people who love to visit Japan will not be unfamiliar with two “attractions ”: the Daokou near Enojima Electric Railway ’ s Kamakura University Station, and a Lawson convenience store in Kawaguchi-cho.
The former is the "holy place" of the popular manga "When Men are in the bottle". In recent years, the crossing has been congested with traffic due to frequent visits by tourists to "punch", local people can not get on the electric train, and some tourists are dangerous for taking good photos. Lawson is also a "punch" attraction, and the picture is a convenience store with a beautiful view of Mount Fuji. of tourists are constantly crossing the road and parking without permission, causing local residents to feel troubled.
Too many tourists can also lead to a decline in the quality of service, even in Japan, which values the spirit of “work people ”.
When I visited Japan last year, I saw some shops find ways to deal with “tourism hazards ” on their own, such as not allowing diners to take photos in the store, so that after the photos are uploaded to social media, it will cause more people to come and see them; limiting the number of diners to the number of people that the staff can serve, even if the seats are not full.
However, some tourists always find it difficult to understand the intentions behind these arrangements, and I have heard some tourists complain: "Obviously there is still a place, why not let us sit?"
When these conflicts can no longer be handled by businesses and residents themselves, how to strike a balance between “tourism ” and“ public nuisance ” will gradually become a policy issue.
The most extreme way to deal with it is to “eliminate ” popular attractions – coincidentally, the authorities of Kawaguchiko recently erected a 20-meter-long and 2.5-meter-high“ black curtain ” in front of Lawson to drive away tourists who came to take photos.
The reason why the authorities have to take extreme measures is that management alone can not prevent tourists from rushing out of the road, which is actually to "play the spot".
In addition, there are more and more tourist cities and hotspots charging tourists "admission fees" or "admission fees", but this method can not play a large role.
In Venice, for example, the city has been charging a 5 euro entry fee (about HK $42) to “overnight ” travelers since last month.
However, these fees simply cannot curb the huge demand for tourists, and the revenue is mainly used as a financial source to cope with "excessive travel", which can only cure the symptoms, not the root cause.
The Real Meaning of “Travel Everywhere ”
At this point, some people may point out that the above problems will only become problems if we succeed in attracting tourists to Hong Kong; what we have to focus on is how to get more people to come to Hong Kong.
However, how much tourism can bring to a city depends on the management and policies of the city, not on the remedial measures that can be taken.
Although the share of tourism industry in Hong Kong's economy is far less than that of the "tourist city" mentioned above, Hong Kong can't wait to see that other places are looking for countermeasures for the "tourism nuisance", and even start to turn to attack, redefine the tourism industry from the planning level and actively promote tourist education.
In Amsterdam, the Netherlands, for example, the government announced last month that it would ban new hotels and limit the number of cruise ships to return the city to a livable and tourism-friendly city. In Kamakura, Japan, people are no longer concentrated at certain points by decentralizing transportation (such as the launch of electric tricycle rental business) and proactively promoting multiple circumnavigation routes (such as the travel routes at 13 locations of Kamakura Shogunate).
The main disadvantage of post-event remediation is that the difficulty and cost of solving the problem are greatly increased, which will also affect the experience of tourists. More than 10 years ago, the North District of Hong Kong also experienced a pharmacy every few steps, and the situation of residents in the North District driving out water consignors on their own, which hurt the feelings of the people of the two places.
In particular, there are many policy issues that can be foreseen in advance, and we do not have to go through them personally before we know what the problem is (for example, the legal problems faced by cleaners under the garbage levy will not be known until the moment of trial).
Since there is a great deal of experience and policy measures in various places to refer to, the “Special Class ” must also strike a balance between tourism and city operations when formulating tourist routes and supporting packages, otherwise the attraction will only lead to losses. After the city of Kamakura solved the problem of overcrowding of tourists, the tourism industry representative of Kanagawa Prefecture (that is, the seat of Kamakura City) pointed out:“ Attraction is not tourism. ” The amount of time it takes to win is certainly not appropriate.
“Travel Everywhere ” is not just about adding tourist attractions, but promoting quality tourism in a more nuanced and proactive way to avoid problems.
The author is a public policy consultant.
■ Articles
1.
Forum version is open park, welcome to submit.
Forum articles are limited to 2300 words. Please email to forum @ mingpao.com, fax: 2898 3783.
2. The editor of this paper reserves the right to delete the article based on the space limit, but in order to maintain the main points and positions of the article as the principle; if you do not want the article to be deleted, please indicate.
3.
Please attach the author's real name and contact information (can be published under a pen name), please do not submit one manuscript twice; if not applicable, without prior notice, except for those with postage return, this paper will not return the manuscript.
4.
Note to Contributors: Once an article is published, we have exclusive local rights to publish the article in Chinese. This right also includes the right to republish the article in local and overseas media (including electronic media, such as Internet sites).
In addition, we have the right to grant the right to use the copy of the article to the relevant copying authorizing companies and organizations.
The above rights in this paper do not affect the copyright of the contributor and their rights and interests.
(Criticism of current affairs articles published by this website is aimed at pointing out errors or deficiencies in relevant systems, policies or measures, with the aim of correcting or eliminating such errors or deficiencies, and improving them through lawful means, with no intention of inciting hatred, dissatisfaction or hostility towards the Government or other communities)
[Lin Chi-yin]
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The term "overtourism" was chosen as the Oxford English Dictionary's word of the year in 2018, referring to the negative effects of overloading the area, declining quality of life, and environmental damage caused by the influx of tourists to tourist attractions.

Overtourism has affected various destinations, including Venice, Italy, where the local population is only 50,000, and the number of daily tourists has exceeded the local population, causing crowding and environmental issues.

In addition to Venice, other European cities and small islands with a tourism-led economy, such as the Canarias in Spain, face problems like job opportunities, high prices, and a homogenization of shops due to overtourism.

The influx of tourists has also caused traffic congestion, noise pollution, and garbage pollution, leading to a phenomenon known as "tourism nuisance" in Japanese society.

Overtourism occurs when there are too many visitors to a particular destination, leading to problems such as crowded roads, jammed tourist vehicles, and tourists unable to view landmarks due to the crowds.

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Sedona Film Festival presents ‘Crowded Out’

“Crowded Out” is a powerful short documentary exploring over-tourism, featuring interviews with local residents and global experts. (Image provided by SIFF)

Originally Published: September 14, 2022 8:43 p.m.

The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the third film in its four-week Sustainable Tourism Film Series. “Crowded Out: The Story of Overtourism” will show on Thursday, Sept. 22 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre at 4 p.m. The event will also include a selection of “Sustainable Travel: Where Next?” short films along with a panel discussion.

“Crowded Out” is a powerful short documentary exploring overtourism, featuring interviews with local residents and global experts.

Overtourism occurs when there are too many visitors to a particular destination. When rent prices push out local tenants to make way for holiday rentals, when narrow roads become jammed with tourist vehicles, when tourists cannot view landmarks because of the crowds – these are all signs of overtourism.

And it is the backlash from local residents that has made overtourism news. Cities such as Barcelona, Venice and Dubrovnik, and places once thought of as remote such as Iceland and Skye have suffered firsthand, and the protests by local residents have spread.

There has been decades of virtually uncontrolled growth, and it has crossed a threshold: in many destinations, tourism now demonstrably creates more problems than benefits.

This special event will also include a selection of short films from “Sustainable Travel: Where Next?” This series includes short-form documentary films, featuring insightful stories from the global travel and tourism sector showing how they are driving sustainable travel and protecting these precious destinations.

Following the screenings, there will be a panel discussion with representatives the City of Sedona, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce, Keep Sedona Beautiful and the tourism and hospitality industry here.

“Crowded Out: The Story of Overtourism” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 4 p.m. Tickets are $12, or $9 for Film Festival members. For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona. For more information, visit: www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.

The final film in the Sustainable Tourism Series is:

Thursday, Sept. 29 at 4 p.m. “Vendemmia”

The social, environmental, and economic impacts of overtourism are significant, and it is essential to address these issues to ensure the long-term sustainability of tourist destinations.

The city of Amsterdam has taken measures to address overtourism by banning new hotels and limiting the number of cruise ships to return the city to a livable and tourism-friendly state.

In Kamakura, Japan, the city has implemented measures like decentralizing transportation and promoting multiple circumnavigation routes to reduce the concentration of tourists at certain points.

It is essential to strike a balance between tourism and city operations when formulating tourist routes and supporting packages to avoid the negative consequences of overtourism.

Destination management organizations and local governments can balance the needs of tourists, local residents, and the environment by developing and implementing sustainable tourism strategies that prioritize the well-being of all stakeholders.

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Content:     Tourism & Travel

    Third G20 Tourism Meeting To Be Organized From 22nd To 24th May At Srinagar

    The Hawk
    May19/ 2023

    New Delhi (The Hawk): The third G20 Tourism Working Group meeting, will be held from 22nd to 24th May 2023 in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. This was informed by Secretary, Ministry of Tourism Shri Arvind Singh while addressing a press conference in New Delhi today.

    Giving details, Sh Arvind Singh said that the stage is set for discussions and deliberations on finals deliverables and there are two key deliverables of the Tourism Working Group, which include GOA Roadmap for Tourism as a vehicle for achieving sustainable development goals and G20 Tourism Ministers’ Declaration.

    Sh Arvind Singh further said that during this meeting, G20 member countries, invited countries, and international organizations will give valuable inputs and feedback on these two draft documents and after negotiations with G20 Member Countries on these drafts, final versions will be placed in the fourth Tourism Working Group meeting and Ministerial meeting. Under India’s G20 Tourism Track, the Tourism Working Group is working on five inter-connected priority areas, which are Green Tourism; Digitalization; Skills ; MSMEs ; Destination These priorities are key building blocks for accelerating the transition of the tourism sector and achieve the targets for 2030 SDGs.

    Shri Arvind Singh said that a side event on 'Film Tourism for Economic Growth and Cultural Preservation' will be organized on 22nd and 23rd May 2023, focusing on strategies to promote film tourism. The event will witness the participation of G20 member countries, invited countries, international organizations, and industry stakeholders. He also said that a draft 'National Strategy on Film Tourism' will be unveiled to provide a roadmap for harnessing the role of films in promoting tourist destinations.

    A panel discussion featuring esteemed speakers from G20 Member countries, Invited Countries will shed light on country-specific enablers and challenges in promoting destinations through films.

    The Tourism Secretary also informed that along the sidelines of the main event, a national level side event will be organized along with FICCI which will focus on 'Promoting Incredible India through Film Tourism,' offering states and union territories an opportunity to share their policies and best practices that have facilitated the development of film tourism. Industry stakeholders will also provide suggestions on encouraging filmmakers to shoot in various locations across the country.

    Shri Arvind Singh said that the Ministry of Tourism has also planned a side event along with CII on 'Ecotourism as a vehicle to achieve Sustainable Development Goal' which will explore effective strategies, best practices, and synergy between the public and private sectors to accelerate efforts towards sustainable development goals.

    Noteworthy presentations will be given by experts and representatives from wildlife organizations, industry associations. Delegates will also have the opportunity to experience the local attractions.

    During the 3rd Tourism Working Group meeting, the delegates will also visit the Art and Craft Bazaar organized by the State Government showcasing local handicrafts, work of artisans, signifying the importance of community participation. The Delegates will also have ‘hands-on’ experience through DIY Activities at the Craft Bazaar.

    The Ministry of Tourism is also promoting local products of Jammu and Kashmir by handing below souvenirs to Delegates from ODOP.

    Paper Mache Box is the common themes that appear on Kashmiri paper mache products include flowers, box patterns

    Saffron from Pampore - Srinagar, is referred to as the 'saffron capital of India'.

    Kawa cups and Brass Spoon - It has been a part of Kashmir’s cuisine since ages.

    Walnuts are from Anantnag, Shopian and Kupwara - Walnuts of Kashmir, are popular across India and even exported around the world.

    This G20 Tourism Working Group meeting in Srinagar aims to strengthen economic growth, preserve cultural heritage, and promote sustainable development of the region The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, welcomes the participation of delegates from G20 member countries, invited countries, and international organizations to collectively work towards advancing the tourism sector and achieving the UN sustainable development goals 2030.

    The G20 event presents a unique opportunity to highlight the tourism potential and cultural richness of the region.

    A detailed presentation about the event was also made by Additional Secretary, Sh Rakesh Verma. OSD, Tourism Smt V. Vidyavathi was also present at the media briefing.

    Categories :Tourism & TravelTags :G20 Tourism

The use of data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) can help identify areas of high tourism impact by analyzing large datasets on tourist numbers, demographics, and behavior.

These technologies can also be used to develop predictive models that forecast tourist demand and identify potential areas of high impact, allowing for proactive planning and management.

Stakeholder engagement is crucial in addressing overtourism, and strategies such as community-based tourism, sustainable tourism planning, and collaborative governance can be used to ensure that local residents, businesses, and other stakeholders are involved in the decision-making process.

The implementation of policies and regulations to manage tourist numbers and distribute them more evenly throughout the year can help mitigate the negative impacts of overtourism, such as overcrowding and strain on local resources.

The Ministry of Tourism is promoting sustainable tourism practices through events and meetings, such as the 3rd Tourism Working Group meeting, which aims to accelerate efforts towards sustainable development goals.

Effective strategies, best practices, and synergy between the public and private sectors are being explored to promote ecotourism as a vehicle to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.

Experts and representatives from wildlife organizations and industry associations are sharing their knowledge and experiences to support sustainable tourism practices.

Community-based tourism is being promoted through events such as the Art and Craft Bazaar, which showcases local handicrafts and the work of artisans, highlighting the importance of community participation.

The promotion of local products, such as souvenirs, is being done by the Ministry of Tourism to support the local economy and encourage community-based tourism.

Hands-on experiences, such as DIY activities, are being offered to delegates to engage them with local culture and promote community-based tourism.

The search results do not provide a comprehensive overview of the causes and consequences of overtourism, but they do highlight the importance of promoting sustainable tourism practices, such as ecotourism and community-based tourism.