As more groups and individuals enthusiastically embrace source separation of waste in Hong Kong, the amount of waste destined for landfills is shrinking, the Permanent Secretary for the Environment says.

Speaking at a forum on waste separation today, Annisa Wong thanked the public for their support and participation in waste recycling and recovery, which had helped to increase the domestic waste-recovery rate from 14% in 2004 to 35% in 2009. Over the same period, domestic waste disposed of at landfills fell by 15% while municipal solid waste fell 3.8%.

"Source separation of waste is becoming a general practice for more and more families in Hong Kong. The Environmental Protection Department is working to enhance the implementation of the source separation of waste programme and will extend the programme to rural areas and old districts," Ms Wong said.

She also noted foreign domestic helpers play a major role in waste separation and recycling, and the department will put more effort into promoting waste separation and recovery to them.

Representatives from property-management companies, housing estates and institutions shared their waste-separation promotion experiences at the forum. Those with outstanding performances in source separation last year were also presented with awards and commendation certificates.

75% of population covered

More than 1,500 housing estates have signed up to join the source separation of waste programme, covering three quarters of Hong Kong's population, since its launch in January 2005. Since the department extended the programme to cover industrial and commercial buildings in October 2007,  more than 600 such buildings have joined.

The Environment & Conservation Fund will continue to help housing estates and industrial and commercial buildings to install waste-recovery facilities through allocated fund subsidies. The Environmental Campaign Committee will continue to give out free waste-separation bins to residential, industrial and commercial buildings.

More details of the programme are available on the department's waste-reduction website.