Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan today officiated at an award ceremony to commend schools, students and families for their outstanding performance in waste reduction and recycling during the 2024-25 school year.

Speaking at the SGREEN x We-recycle@School Competitions Award Ceremony, co-organised by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) and Ocean Park Hong Kong, Mr Tse highlighted that the current-term Government has successfully reversed the long-term trend of rising waste disposal quantities over the years through promoting waste reduction at source and expanding the recycling network.

He remarked that the disposal quantity of municipal solid waste decreased by a total of 7.5% from 2021 to 2024, while the waste recovery rate increased from 28% in 2020 to 33% in 2023.

Mr Tse congratulated all the awardees and thanked them for their support of Hong Kong's waste reduction and recycling efforts.

He also emphasised that it is crucial to educate the next generation to achieve waste reduction at source.

"In 2024, the EPD launched the We-recycle@School Activity, providing a variety of teaching materials and promotional support to primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong to assist schools and teachers in integrating waste reduction and recycling knowledge into daily teaching, encourage students to make good use of recycling facilities in schools and the community, and inspire their family members to practise resource separation and recycling together."

The EPD said the We-recycle@School Activity has received an overwhelming response since its launch. Currently, around 550 primary and secondary schools have participated in the scheme, encompassing about 350,000 students.