A 20-year lease of four adjacent lots in the EcoPark has been awarded to Rocsky International Limited for developing a local waste paper recycling and manufacturing plant.

The tenant will build and operate, on the 2-hectare site, a plant capable of processing 300,000 tonnes of local waste paper a year.

The plant will commence design and construction in 2019 and is expected to be put into operation in 2023.

It will be the first one established in Hong Kong since the closure of the local paper mills a decade ago.

The local waste paper collected by the plant will be turned into high-strength corrugated paper, semi-dry pulp and other materials which will be sold locally and outside the city.

The Environmental Protection Department said it is working with other government departments on multi-pronged measures to support the operation and development of the local recycling industry.

It will also continue its efforts in the promotion and education of clean recycling.

With the support of the Recycling Fund, the department will launch programmes to facilitate the local industry to raise the quality of recovered waste paper, enhance its competitiveness and open up more diverse outlets.