EDUCATION CHAPTER
Food waste comprises all discarded foods, both edible and inedible. Some food waste can be avoided while some cannot.
(e.g. vegetable roots, offal, fish or meat scraps)
(e.g. strained stock ingredients)
(e.g. rinds, bones, egg shells, coffee grounds, tea leaves)
(e.g. unattractive, mislabelled, mispackaged, poor sales)
According to the latest statistics from the Monitoring of Solid Waste in Hong Kong by the EPD, 3,191 tonnes of food waste (about 30% of MSW, equivalent in weight to 213 double-deckers bus) were disposed of at landfills daily in 2023.
Contrary to common perceptions about the catering industry, households are the major source of food waste, accounting for 60% of the total. This highlights the shared responsibility of everyone in reducing food waste.
Dividing by Hong Kong’s population, our per capita food waste is 98 kilograms annually, which is 20% higher than the global average of 79 kilograms per capita reported in the Food Waste Index Report 2024 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
High income does not necessarily correlate with higher food waste. Hong Kong’s figure is quite substantial compared to other high income countries’ 81 kilograms per capita as listed in the index report.
Food waste is not limited to leftover food on the table but throughout the entire supply chain, from production to sales.
According to the Food Waste Index Report 2024 by the UNEP, the world wasted an estimated 1.05 billion tonnes of food in 2022, with a value of around US$1 trillion.
Although food is wasted from farm to table, consumers are to blame as 60% of 1.5 billion tonnes of food waste in 2022 came from consumption stage.
As of the end of 2024, the world population stood at 8.2 billion and is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (UN) projects that the food supply must increase by 50% to 70% to meet the world demand in 2050. Nonetheless, one third of the world’s farmland is suffering from degradation. The remaining agricultural land is being gradually lost due to climate change, water scarcity, urbanisation and other factors. It will be challenging to expand agricultural and grazing land. Therefore, reducing food waste and wasting is crucial in maintaining a sustainable food supply.
People in Hong Kong throw away 3,000 tonnes of food waste every day, which is an enormous amount, while people suffering from hunger in another corner of the world. According to statistics, up to 733 million people lived in hunger in 2023. Having plenty is reason enough for us to treasure food.
The government has rolled out a series of schemes to tackle food waste including education on source reduction and upgrading food waste collection and processing capability to increase recovery rate and turn waste to energy.
The EPD issued Guidelines on How to Promote Green Lunch in Schools to help schools reduce food waste. The Guidelines are updated regularly.
The Food Wise Hong Kong Campaign was launched to promote a food wise culture through Food Wise Charter, Food Wise Eateries and the publicity of the “Big Waster”.
The first Organic Resources Recovery Centre (O · PARK1) was opened. It is capable of handling 200 tonnes of food waste per day.
The Food Waste/Sewage Sludge Anaerobic Co-digestion Trial Scheme was established at Tai Po Sewage Treatment Works. It can handle a maximum of 50 tonnes of pre-treated food waste per day. Treating food waste and sewage sludge together allows for more efficient use of land and facilities, while increasing the amount of biogas generated for electricity production.
The Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF) provided $4.5 million to about 50 schools in the 2020/21 school year for the installation of refrigerators, steam cabinets, dishwashers, and disinfection machines to support the “Plastic-free” School Lunch Pilot Scheme. The Scheme reduces the use of disposable tableware and minimise food waste by adjusting lunch portions individually.
The Recycling Fund earmarked $100 million to roll out Supporting Residential Buildings in Adopting Smart Bins Technology in Food Waste Collection and Recycling (RSB) programme for applications by private residential buildings.
The EPD launched the Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Collection to collect food waste from both private (including commercial and industrial) and public premises.
Food Waste Collection Trial Scheme in Public Rental Housing Estates was launched to install smart recycling bins in public housing estates.
Install FWSRBs and recycling points at GREEN@COMMUNITY recycling stations in the residential areas (including single-block and “three-nil” buildings).
The Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Smart Recycling Bins in Private Housing Estates was launched with funding from the ECF to provide private housing estates with FWSRBs, including installation and maintenance services for two years.
Hong Kong’s biggest Organic Resources Recovery Centre (O · PARK2) was opened. It is capable of handling 300 tonnes of food waste per day.
O ‧ PARK1 and O ‧ PARK2 commenced operation in 2018 and 2024 respectively. It is one of many large-scale recycling facilities built to promote resources circulation. Upon arrival at O ‧ PARK, food waste undergoes impurity removal before entering anaerobic digesters, where it is converted into biogas for electricity generation.
O ‧ PARK1 and O ‧ PARK2 can generate a maximum of 38 million kWh of electricity collectively, which is equivalent to the power consumption of 8,000 households. The electricity generated will supply internal use first, with any surplus exported to the power grid.
Convert food waste into biogas to generate electricity.
Convert residues from waste-to-energy treatment into compost for landscaping or agricultural use.
Black soldier fly (Hermentia illucens) is an omnivorous insect whose larvae stage lasts for about 18 days. The larvae feed on food waste and are indiscriminate with their food, be it heavy in seasoning or dressing. A technology company makes use of this feature to process food waste and set up black soldier flies farm in Hong Kong, processes a tonne of food waste per day.
The rapid economic growth over the past decades and the popularity of food delivery platforms that bring meals at your fingertips have exacerbated food waste in China. According to the 2023 China Food and Nutrition Development Report, the annual food wastage was 460 million tonnes, capable of feeding 190 million people a year. The level of waste is of a mind-blogging order!
In 2013, a grassroots movement, “Clear Your Plate”, was created to promote zero plate waste and drew a lot of public attention. In 2020, due to Covid-19 pandemic and frequent extreme weather events, the central government re-launched “Clear Your Plate” campaign to step up measures to conserve resources and fight waste. The campaign also aimed to raise public awareness about food crisis to ensure national food security and promote low-carbon lifestyles.
In April 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress passed Anti-food Waste Law, which includes a total of 32 articles covering the following:
In 2020, the Wuhan Catering Industry Association urged restaurants in the city to adopt an "N-1" ordering system, where customers order one dish fewer than the number of diners. The initiative was received with great fanfare nationwide and gave inspiration to sales pitches like “Half Portion Half Price”, “Small Portion Right Price” in other cities to raise food saving awareness among the public and the food industry.
After nearly 20 years of effort, food waste recovery reached 95%.
