Food waste recycling shows growth

April 5, 2026

Going smart:

The Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Smart Recycling Bins in Private Housing Estates provides funding to help private housing estates install smart recycling bins for easier food waste recycling.

Enthusiastic participant:

Mrs So praised the smart recycling bin’s ability to collect hard food waste, such as bones, adding that their convenient location encourages more participation in the recycling scheme.

Raising awareness:

Vincent Liu welcomes the decision to continue using the smart recycling bins after the subsidy period ends, to help further promote environmental awareness.

Enhancing effectiveness:

Environmental Protection Department Senior Environmental Protection Officer (Waste Reduction & Community Recycling) Benjamin Kwong (left) hopes lower eligibility requirements will encourage more small and medium size private housing estates to participate in the scheme.

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Voiceover:

Fruit and vegetable peelings are far from useless.

Mrs So’s daily cooking typically yields about one kg of food waste.

Rather than heading for the rubbish bin, these scraps are collected in this little bin. For Mrs So, they are too valuable to send to the landfill.

Her housing estate is taking part in the Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Smart Recycling Bins in Private Housing Estates, a joint initiative by the Environmental Protection Department and the Environmental Campaign Committee. 

The scheme provides two years of funding to cover the installation, maintenance and repairs of the bins. Eight of the recycling units have been installed throughout Mrs So’s neighbourhood.

Resident Mrs So:

This recycling bin is more advanced. It can collect hard food waste, like bones or even durian husks.

Voiceover:

The bins are easy to use and are equipped with functions such as overflow prevention, deodorising and pest control, to help reduce environmental hygiene issues caused by food waste.

Residents' association chairman Vincent Liu:

This is a great scheme. With the smart recycling bin, odour from food waste is significantly reduced. The bin itself does not take up much space and the recycling process is much simpler.

Voiceover:

Mr Liu and other committee members of the residents' association were eager to continue participation in the scheme to further raise environmental awareness among residents.

Environmental Protection Department Senior Environmental Protection Officer (Waste Reduction & Community Recycling) Benjamin Kwong:

As of February 2026, about 450 food waste smart recycling bins have been installed in 115 private housing estates under the pilot scheme, serving more than 270,000 households.

Participating estates have collectively recycled over 7,300 tonnes of food waste.

Voiceover:

Residents can earn GREEN$ points by recycling food waste. The points can be redeemed for gifts, such as daily necessities, or even supermarket gift vouchers, considered great incentives for participants.

Environmental Protection Department Senior Environmental Protection Officer (Waste Reduction & Community Recycling) Benjamin Kwong:

The Government will continue to provide funding support through Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Smart Recycling Bins in Private Housing Estates to install smart bins in private housing estates.

The Environmental Campaign Committee adjusted the eligibility threshold in October 2025, from 1,000 households or more to 200 households or more, to include more small and medium size private housing estates, expanding the scope of the trial and enhancing overall effectiveness.

Voiceover:

Hong Kong’s food waste recycling continues to grow as the collection network expands and improves. Domestic food waste recycling, in particular, has seen substantial growth - surging from around two tonnes to more than 120 tonnes per day.

Food waste is far from useless. With responsible recycling, it can be recovered and redeployed.

In recent years, the Government has continued to expand and improve its food waste recycling network, including enhancing recycling bin designs to encourage more citizens to recycle.

In 2025, an average of 350 tonnes of food waste was recycled in Hong Kong each day. Recycling of domestic food waste has surged from around two tonnes per day in 2022 to more than 120 tonnes daily in 2025.

Encouraging participation

The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) and the Environmental Campaign Committee rolled out the Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Smart Recycling Bins in Private Housing Estates in 2023, providing two years of funding to cover the installation, maintenance and repairs of the bins.

As of February 2026, 453 food waste smart recycling bins have been installed in 115 private housing estates under the scheme, serving more than 270,000 households.

“Participating estates have collectively recycled over 7,300 tonnes of food waste,” explained EPD Senior Environmental Protection Officer (Waste Reduction & Community Recycling) Benjamin Kwong.

Optimised design

Mrs So’s housing estate is taking part in the pilot scheme. Eight of the recycling units have been installed throughout her neighbourhood.

Praising the bin’s ability to collect hard food waste, such as bones, Mrs So noted that their convenient locations encourage more residents to take part in the recycling scheme.

The smart recycling bins are also connected to the GREEN$ Electronic Participation Incentive Scheme, allowing residents to earn GREEN$ points by recycling food waste. The points can be redeemed for gifts, such as daily necessities, or even supermarket gift vouchers, considered great incentives for participants.

The bins are also equipped with functions such as overflow prevention, deodorising and pest control, to help reduce environmental hygiene issues caused by food waste.

The housing estate’s residents' association chairman Vincent Liu said they are eager to continue participation in the scheme to further raise environmental awareness among residents.

Expanding coverage

To broaden the reach of the trial and enhance its effectiveness, the Government adjusted the eligibility threshold for the pilot scheme in 2025. The requirement has been reduced from 1,000 households or more to 200 households or more, allowing more small and medium size private housing estates to participate.

At the end of 2025, the EPD rolled out the Trial Scheme on Food Waste Recycling Truck. The vehicle visits various locations nightly to promote food waste recycling.