A total of 223 housing estates in Hong Kong have signed up for the waste separation program, representing 350,000 households or a population of 1.1 million, an official in charge of environment said Wednesday.

 

Secretary for the Environment, Transport & Works Sarah Liao told lawmakers at a Legislative Council meeting that the results of domestic waste separation have been encouraging since its launch in January last year.

 

She said 42 housing estates have achieved an increase of more than 50 percent in the quantity of recyclables collected, a 3 percent cut in the quantity of waste for disposal.

 

The program will be extended to other housing estates progressively, Liao added. The target is to have 80 percent of the population here participating in the program by 2010, and to increase the domestic waste recovery rate from the present 14 percent to 20 percent by next year and 26 percent by 2012.

 

About 28,000 sets of the three colored waste-separation bins have been placed at public places, schools, housing estates, government quarters and office buildings, as well as hospitals and clinics, with 488 tons of recyclables collected last year.

 

Liao said the number and location of waste-separation bins and the frequency of collection will be adjusted in light of the actual situation and needs of the place, such as pedestrian flow and the quantity of recyclables.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 16, 2006)