Hong Kong is an international city that our economic status is boosting. However, waste disposal in Hong Kong is a huge concern in the eyes of different stakeholders. In 2018, Hong Kong’s environment minister Wong Kam-sing has said that Hong Kong is already 20 years slower than cities like Taipei and Seoul in waste reduction scheme (HK is 20 years behind Seoul and Taipei on waste charging scheme, environment chief Wong Kam-sing urges public to back initiative, 2018). As the coronavirus pandemic has forced people to switch eating out habits to take-out orders, there would be a skyrocketed number of plastic cutlery and container waste (HK landfills are supposed to be full in 2020. What’s the government’s plan?, 2020). In addition to take-out dining waste, personal protective equipment like masks and cleaning supplies has soared (Coronavirus: How Hong Kong’s dramatic drop in recycling sets a dangerous new norm, 2020). Although the government has tried to promote policies like waste charging and source separation, the effectiveness is relatively low due to the throwaway consumer culture and poor recycling infrastructure. Thus, the burden of the monumental waste crisis in Hong Kong is increasing (Robson, D, 2017). After reading the news, it is noticed that some points could be connected with the learning materials in week two.

Referring to the illustrations of lecture 2, humans think that they are superior to another organism that they ignore their impact on the environment. For example, people may buy new clothes in every season and throw the old ones which might be worn once or twice only under fast fashion. Without considering the consequences of our actions, the environment is actually being polluted when people use the resources. For instance, old clothes being dumped may involve non-renewable resources which could not be recycled easily and would end up being trashed and sent to the landfills. In fact, human beings are just a part of the whole environment that they should not consider another living organism as inferior. Therefore, people should adopt policies to achieve sustainable development. Mentioned in class, people are fortunate that they do not have to live with the waste problem since landfills were built and extended. However, as the landfills are overflowing imminently, people should not have the mentality of ‘not in my backyard’ and different stakeholders should be urged to come up with alternatives before it is too late.

According to a video shown in class, we are at a crossroads that things can continue getting worse or we could work together to improve our world (Preventing disease through healthy environments: a global assessment of the burden of disease from environmental risks, 2016). In other words, a multi-stakeholder approach should be adopted, and all parties should get involved in dealing with the waste crisis in Hong Kong. First, the government should reduce waste consumption by urging policies like waste charging, incinerate municipal solid waste and promote source separation (Fabian, N., & Lou, L., 2019). Also, commercials should bear environmental corporate social responsibility. Take the Lego as an example, their company has reduced packaging, used more renewable energy and utilize sustainable materials in production (16 Brands Doing Corporate Social Responsibility Successfully | DMI, 2019). That way, waste consumption could be reduced during production. On the other hand, the ineffectiveness of policies is mainly due to the wasteful mindset of people. Hence, education in Hong Kong should put more emphasis on environmental issues, like planning more field trips or programs for children to approach nature and design delightful activities for children to learn about waste reduction approaches. Finally, individuals should put efforts on related issues, like bringing our own bag and recycling materials that might be useful.

Referring to my daily life, I have noticed that I would buy things impulsively when I felt stressed and upset. As a result, I often have to dump some useless items, like decorations or clothes. After reviewing the readings, there are four strategies for me to achieve the ‘4R’ principles. For ‘Reduce’, I decided to formulate a table of ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ before buying things. Not only I could calm down and think twice before I buy things, but also, I may have time to find substitutes instead of owning new resources. For ‘Reuse’, I started to donate me and my brother’s old clothes to relatives, so the resources could be fully utilized when they are at good condition. Meanwhile, I would reuse paper bags distributed by shops. For ‘Recycle’, I could separate recyclable materials, like bottles and cardboards used for the production of teaching materials and put them into waste separation bins. For ‘Replace’, I would use my own bottle rather than buying drinks from convenience stores. According to the tagline of World Environment Day, we should refuse materials that could not be reused. In fact, every single measure means a lot that every little help and contribute to make a healthy environment. Hence, I would like to take the first step and make little changes for our environment.

References
16 Brands Doing Corporate Social Responsibility Successfully | DMI. (2019). Retrieved 19 January 2021, from https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/corporate-16-brands-doing-corporate-social-responsibility-successfully
Coronavirus: How Hong Kong’s dramatic drop in recycling sets a dangerous new norm | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. (2020). Retrieved 18 January 2021, from https://hongkongfp.com/2020/06/21/coronavirus-how-hong-kongs-dramatic-drop-in-recycling-sets-a-dangerous-new-norm/
Fabian, N., & Lou, L. (2019). The Struggle for Sustainable Waste Management in Hong Kong: 1950s–2010s. Worldwide Waste: Journal Of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2(1). doi: 10.5334/wwwj.40
HK is 20 years behind Seoul and Taipei on waste charging scheme, environment chief Wong Kam-sing urges public to back initiative. (2018). Retrieved 18 January 2021, from https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/news/hong-kong/article/3058007/hk-20-years-behind-seoul-and-taipei-waste-charging
HK landfills are supposed to be full in 2020. What’s the government’s plan?. (2020). Retrieved 18 January 2021, from https://sustainableasia-co.medium.com/hk-landfills-are-supposed-to-be-full-in-2020-whats-the-government-s-plan-68d6bf0c1380
Preventing disease through healthy environments: a global assessment of the burden of disease from environmental risks. (2016). Retrieved 19 January 2021, from https://www.who.int/quantifying_ehimpacts/publications/preventing-disease/en/
Robson, D. (2017). Hong Kong has a monumental waste problem. Retrieved 18 January 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170427-hong-kong-has-a-monumental-waste-problem

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