The Environmental Protection Department will continue to liaise with the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) on a leasing issue with the beverage carton recycling plant in Yuen Long.

In response to media enquiries today, the department said it had noted a disagreement between the beverage carton recycling plant and the HKSTP on the leasing issue and that it had contacted the HKSTP.

The corporation is willing to provide possible assistance regarding the time to repossess the site. The department will continue to liaise with the HKSTP and hopes progress can be made for both parties on the leasing issue.

It explained that the Government's policy is to encourage the recycling and reuse of local resources, and to assist the industry to increase progressively the processing capacity of various recyclables.

Regarding the recycling of beverage cartons, the Recycling Fund has disbursed about $1 million to the newly established beverage carton recycling plant in Yuen Long InnoPark to fund its operation until 2021.

Due to the impact of the epidemic, the fund also granted a one-off anti-epidemic subsidy to the plant.

The department also contacted the person-in-charge of the recycling plant to provide information on the short-term tenancy sites that will be exclusively used by the recycling industry and will be tendered for his consideration, but the person-in-charge considered that those short-term tenancy sites to be available for open tender are not suitable.

As soon as there are other short-term tenancy sites available for the recycling industry that will be open for tender, the department will provide information for their consideration.

Currently, the local recycling capacity can only handle a small quantity of beverage cartons in Hong Kong. The department has been actively sourcing more operators to join to provide beverage carton recycling services, so as to increase the local downstream recycling capacity. The department has also been in discussions with various potential operators.

In addition, the department awarded a lease for lots in EcoPark through open tender in April to set up a modern pulping facility which is expected to start operation in 2025. The local recycling capacity of beverage cartons will significantly increase by then, the department added.