Moving Towards "Zero Landfill"

Waste Blueprint for Hong Kong 2035

The Government announced the “Waste Blueprint for Hong Kong 2035” (the Blueprint) in February 2021. Setting out the vision of “Waste Reduction ‧ Resources Circulation ‧ Zero Landfill”, the Blueprint outlines the goals and measures to tackle the challenge of waste management up to 2035. It also sets out a long-term target to move away from the reliance on landfills for direct disposal of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) by around 2035. The Government’s strategy has two main directions. The first is to mobilise the entire community to practise waste reduction and waste separation for recycling in the upstream to reduce the overall waste disposal amount. The second is to proactively drive the development of downstream waste-to-energy (WtE) facilities for sustainable disposal of the remaining MSW.

Waste Blueprint for Hong Kong 2035

Waste Blueprint for Hong Kong 2035 (pamphlet)

Future Directions and Measures for Waste Management

To achieve “zero landfill” in a timely manner and continuously promote waste reduction at source, we will take forward waste reduction and recycling work along four directions – strengthening public education, enhancing recycling network, strengthening collaboration with industries, and utilising market forces to develop environmental infrastructure, in conjunction with the development of the WtE facilities I · PARK1 and the planned I · PARK2 to also reduce carbon emissions. MSW charging serves as a reserve tool. Should waste reduction and recycling yield results with sufficient public participation in the future, its implementation may not be required. The Government will continuously monitor the effectiveness of various waste reduction and recycling measures as well as the level of public support and participation in waste reduction and recycling, to assist in evaluating whether there is a need and conditions to conduct a trial on MSW charging in future.

By implementing initiatives across four directions, we will cultivate a healthy green living culture within different spheres including households, schools, community and the trades. We invite you to explore this website to learn more about our waste management initiatives and to join us in advancing Hong Kong's sustainable development.

(1) Strengthen public publicity and education to change public behaviour and cultivate a green living culture		(2) Continue to enhance recycling network
Continue to promote publicity and education on waste reduction and recycling, supporting community environmental education efforts through the Environment and Conservation Fund to encourage the public to reduce waste at source, practice source separation of waste and clean recycling. We will continue to implement the We-recycle@School activity at schools to raise students’ awareness of waste reduction at source from a young age and encourage them to make good use of the recycling facilities in schools and communities, and thereby, to influence their family members to practice waste separation and recycling together. The Government will also strengthen the collaboration with non-profit organisations to promote the Green Outreach Volunteer Programme to reach out to more community groups such as women, foreign domestic helpers, ethnic minorities and new arrivals, etc., strengthening promotion of green culture of waste reduction and recycling among people of different backgrounds.		Continue to enhance the community recycling network GREEN@COMMUNITY (G@C) to improve services in a cost-effective manner. This includes enhancing service levels of the more than 800 existing public collection points under the G@C to support single-block residential buildings and “three-nil” buildings in lack of space for setting up their own recycling facilities; gradually transforming the operation of 82 Recycling Stores into self-service smart recycling facilities seeking to expand the 12 recycling network at lower costs; and implementing full digitalisation of gift redemption under the GREEN$ Electronic Participation Incentive Scheme in April 2026 to offer more convenient and diverse gift options to encourage and promote public participation in waste reduction and recycling; and Continue to enhance food waste recycling service, including increasing the number of residential food waste smart recycling bins or food waste collection facilities across the territory to around 1 600 in 2025, setting up Public Food Waste Recycling Points at more suitable locations, and strengthening support for private housing estates to participate in food waste recycling while gradually realising “one bin per block” in public rental housing estates in 2026. In parallel, the Government will actively explore various on-site food waste treatment technologies and conduct trials in housing estates, rural areas, and government premises to assess the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of different equipment.
We-recycle@School	Green Outreach and Green Outreach Volunteer Programme	GREEN@COMMUNITY	Food Waste Recycling

(3) Strengthen collaboration with industries to explore and take forward practical environmental protection measures, while minimising the impact on the business sector (especially SMEs)		(4) Utilise market forces to develop environmental infrastructure and assist in the transition to a green economy
The Legislative Council passed the Promotion of Recycling and Proper Disposal of Products (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2025 in July 2025 to establish a common legislative framework for Producer Responsibility Schemes under a market-led approach. To formulate the subsidiary legislation regarding the producer responsibility schemes on EV batteries, and plastic beverage containers and beverage cartons, we will continue to consult the trades and, based on practical situation, target to consult the LegCo Panel on Environmental Affairs within 2026; and The Environmental Protection Department is encouraging the catering trade to progressively increase the usage of non-plastic containers on a trial basis in the light of the actual situation, while collecting more comprehensive data to support the optimisation of product design and supply chain, with a view to reducing plastics usage in a pragmatic manner.		The Tuen Mun EcoPark’s modern paper pulping facility, which will begin trial operation at the end of 2025, is expected to process a total of 720 000 tonnes of waste paper annually, which include 630 000 tonnes of three types of local paper (cardboard, newspapers, and office paper); and 90 000 tonnes of mixed paper, expanding the types of recycled paper to include lower fibre value or mixed materials (such as paper bags, packaging boxes, and wrapping paper); and Promote Hong Kong's first large-scale EV battery recycling facility, which is expected to commence operations in the EcoPark in the first half of 2026. This facility will facilitate the reuse of retired EV batteries, transforming them into regenerated black powder containing precious metals, thereby promoting industrial development.
WEEE @ HK	Packaging Reduction Charter	EV Battery Recycling Facility (Expected to commence operations in the first half of 2026)	Tuen Mun EcoPark’s Modern Paper Pulping Facility (Expected to begin trial operation at the end of 2025)

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Disposal Quantities

The current-term Government has successfully reversed the long-term upward trend in waste disposal quantities. The average daily disposal of MSW has continuously declined over the past three years since 2021, from an average of 11 358 tonnes per day in 2021 to 10 510 tonnes per day in 2024, a total reduction of 7.5%. The per capita disposal rate has also dropped from a peak of 1.53 kilograms per person per day in 2021 to 1.40 kilograms per person per day in 2024, a decrease of about 8.5% over three years.

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Recovery Rate

The achievements of the current-term Government in promoting waste reduction and recycling are not only reflected in the decrease in the per capita MSW disposal rate, but also the rise in the overall MSW recovery rate. The total recovery amount climbed from the low point of approximately 1.54 million tonnes in 2020 to around 2.02 million tonnes in 2024, marking an increase of about 480 000 tonnes. The recovery rate also rose from 28% to 34%.