The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (March 25) commenced service of the first batch of smart recycling bins in housing estates as pilot sites for housing estate residents and those living nearby to try out the new community smart recycling facility and earn GREEN$ points for gift redemptions, with a view to integrating waste reduction and recycling habits into their daily lives.
 
     To promote smart city development and enhance community recycling services, the EPD launched a Pilot Programme on Smart Recycling System in the fourth quarter of 2020, firstly introducing smart recycling bins in several GREEN@COMMUNITY facilities to try out the local application of the system.
 
     A spokesman for the EPD said, "In view of the positive response from the public towards the Pilot Programme, the EPD extended the smart recycling application points to cover all Recycling Stations and Recycling Stores under GREEN@COMMUNITY in mid-2022. In addition to installing smart balances, smart recycling bins and automatic gift redemption units were set up in some of the Recycling Stations/Stores. We will progressively increase the number of smart recycling application points, covering large housing estates, public housing estates, villages, shopping malls, universities, government venues and so on. There are currently about 60 smart recycling application points, which is expected to increase to about 100 by mid-2023."
 
     The EPD's smart recycling system measures and records the weight of recyclables, followed by calculation and recording of recycling reward points automatically. With the application of an Internet of Things (IoT) solution, it can directly upload the data to the central data system in real time and conduct real-time monitoring on the operation of devices. For the expansion of the Pilot Programme, the EPD completed the establishment of a local and compatible system platform last year for developers of different smart recycling hardware and software to jointly build the smart recycling system in Hong Kong.
 
     The department today held a publicity event in Sceneway Garden in Lam Tin to promote to residents the smart recycling bin installed in the estate. The Deputy Director of Environmental Protection (Waste Reduction), Mr Bruno Luk, and the Vice Chairman of the Kwun Tong District Council, Mr Lui Tung-hai, attended the event.
 
     Mr Luk said, "Through the Pilot Programme on Smart Recycling System, the EPD is bringing a new recycling experience to the public, and to inject new impetus to community recycling. The Government will review the operational experience and technical testing result to formulate the long-term development of a smart recycling system for local application, with a view to improving the community recycling service and its efficiency."

Ends/Saturday, March 25, 2023
Issued at HKT 18:42

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