I
t’s simple. Creating less rubbish
that goes into the bin is the only
way to help ease Hong Kong’s
rubbish crisis. But, is less rubbish
a reality for busy families?
Absolutely! Every piece of rubbish
counts; every effort contributes to the
solution.
What’s happening here?
We are facing a frightening rubbish
crisis in Hong Kong. Together, we
generate more than six million tonnes
of municipal solid waste annually.
That’s more than 18,000 tonnes a
day! By current estimates, our Hong
Kong landfills will be full by 2020.
That’s a seriously
stinky statistic.
Ironically, this rubbish is the
burden of our affluent lives. Waste
levels mirror economic prosperity.
When we can afford more, we
consume more: more products,
more packaging, more decorating,
more building, more food, more
convenience. More and more waste.
Experts are working to solve the
problem – a problem fraught with
political and practical challenges.
Understandably, no community will
willingly welcome a new landfill
site or waste incinerator, making
the solution a gritty job for the city’s
officials. The issue stretches from
household waste, to commercial
waste, construction waste, chemical
waste and beyond. It’s a big, dirty
problem that affects everyone in Hong
Kong and it’s not going to fix itself or
go away.
OK, that’s the doom and gloom.
Now, let’s get positive. There’s a lot
our families can do to help.
Food, glorious food!
Food waste is the biggest contributor
to solid waste in Hong Kong. Food
waste includes leftovers from meals,
by-products from cooking, and all the
food we buy but never eat.
One of the most effective ways to
help reduce your bin size is to reduce
your food waste. That means reducing
what you purchase, reducing what you
throw out and composting the food
you normally place in the bin.
We throw away about a third
of the food we buy. To understand
what that looks like, Rachel Strauss,
Wasting
away
Your family’s behaviour can help ease Hong
Kong’s rubbish crisis, writes
Bec Simpson
.
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