In response to social conditions, propose food wise and waste reduction policy initiatives.
Food Commons Foundation's Views on the 2024-25 Budget Consultation
Increase economic incentives to encourage food recycling
Cultivate citizen awareness and practice the concept of food wise
The government will implement municipal solid waste (MSW) charging in April this year. This move is believed to reduce the load on landfills and can also cultivate the habit of collecting and processing general household waste and food waste separately among the public. It also helps deepen the impression of separate recycling. However, many members of the public say they do not understand the garbage levy's details. It is recommended to allocate more resources, use economic incentives to encourage food recycling, reduce waste at source and strengthen publicity and education about garbage levy. Then citizens can better understand its original intention and operational details and put the concept of food wise into practice. The following are relevant comments:
Increase economic incentives to encourage food recycling
· Provide tax deductions for charitable donations of food and encourage industrial and commercial companies engaged in wholesale, retail, food processing and catering industries to promptly donate food that is about to expire but is still edible to charitable organizations to avoid creating food waste.
· Extend "Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Smart Recycling Bins in Private Housing Estates" to support single-storey houses and small housing estates with less than 1,000 households for household food waste recycling, including providing supporting equipments and subsidizing operating costs, so that property management companies and owners' corporations can have greater incentives to install more food waste recycling facilities and actively promote food waste recycling to residents.
Cultivate citizen awareness and practice the concept of food wise
· Actively promote primary and secondary schools to carry out food recycling activities in schools and allocate funds to the Education Bureau to train teachers to educate students on relevant knowledge. So, students can get used to recycling from the practice of campus life, know how to cherish food and take the concept home to influence their families.
· Allocate resources in comprehensive public education to promote the concepts of "wet and dry separation" and "food sharing". All food and other types of recyclables must be processed separately to avoid contamination of other recyclables; if the food has not expired, it should be donated to non-profit organization for charitable purposes.
· Increase funding from the Environment and Conservation Fund for the Food Recovery Education Subsidy Scheme, allowing non-profit organizations to apply for funding to carry out food wise education to people of different ages and ethnicities in the community, so citizens can consciously reduce food waste at the source and make good use of community recycling facilities.
Food Commons Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to rescuing leftover food. Its Food Commons Hong Kong is the first community network in Hong Kong to systematically recycle leftover food in markets across different districts. This program has already successfully rescued 10,836 tonnes of leftover food that were supposed to be sent to landfills and benefited more than 9.37 million people. This project has great social value. Not only does it reduce food waste, but also helps those in need.
Given that the economy has not returned to normal after the epidemic and the impact of factors such as overseas consumption, Hong Kong will still face economic challenges in the future. Therefore, we suggest that when the government prepares next year's budget, they should increase its support for food-wise related measures. Especially when it comes to leftover food processing, the government can implement tax incentives for donating food to encourage people to donate leftover food; set up advanced food waste recycling facilities in various communities and housing estates to reduce food waste; increase resources to promote food wise education and raise public awareness about reducing food waste. These measures will not only create a greener economic environment, but can also reduce pressure on citizens and businesses.
At this critical moment, we hope that the government can actively promote food-wise related measures and promote the sustainable development of society. We hope the government will consider our suggestions.
Food Commons Foundation
19 January 2024
Food Commons Foundation’s comments on publication consultation on 2023 Policy Address
Boost motivation of industry to donate food
Actively expand leftover food collection network
The city’s Municipal Solid Waste Charging (MSW Charging) will be effective from 1 April 2024. The government should take this opportunity to hugely boost the industry’s food donation motivation, reducing waste and helping others. It should also actively expand leftover food collection network and reduce the load in landfills.
Boost motivation of industry to donate food
• Environmental Protection Department (EPD) should provide comprehensive training to food wholesalers, retailers, food manufacturing and processing establishments, catering industries and other related industries, so managers will clearly know how to reduce food waste at the source and correctly collect and process leftover food.
• Assisting industries to set up waste separation bins in the workplace and subsidizing large shopping malls, cooked food centres, hotels and banquet venues to establish leftover food processing facilities. This can reduce hygiene problems due to food accumulation as well as save transportation cost.
• The EPD should proactively provide the business community with a list of non-profit making organizations that are willing to collect edible food, so staff can contact them to help collect surplus food as soon as possible. Meanwhile, it can also set up a food wise incentive programme to promote a good corporate image of “cherishing food, reducing waste”.
Actively expand leftover food collection network
• Setting up smart food waste recycling bins in all of Hong Kong’s public housing estates and private housing estates. Every day the EPD’s outsourced service contractors collect and deliver the food waste to Organic Resources Recovery Centre (O · Park) or food waste/sewage sludge anaerobic co-digestion facilities.
• Residents can redeem GREEN$ points earned by using smart food waste recycling bins for MSW charging designated garbage bags. This can help to reduce the expenditure of buying designated garbage bags and reward source separation of food waste.
• Adding food waste to GREEN@COMMUNITY’s designated recycling categories. Through public education and promotion, citizens will learn how to correctly separate food waste at the source and avoid mixing and contaminating other recyclables.
• Making real-time announcements on the website and mobile app will make it more convenient for citizens to check the usage of nearby recycling points, recycling bins and smart food waste recycling bins. It can also help to deliver the food to receiving organizations or locations in a timely manner.
• Accelerating the promotion of all industrial and commercial building management companies to set up food waste recycling facilities in buildings and proactively arrange food waste collectors to deliver to eligible organic waste recycling companies, Organic Resources Recovery Centre (O · Park) or food waste/sewage sludge anaerobic co-digestion facilities.
Food Commons Foundation’s “Food Commons” is the first community network that systematically collects and shares market food waste in many districts in Hong Kong. In the past 14 years, an accumulated 10,607 tonnes of food waste that were supposed to be sent to landfills have been saved. The number of beneficiaries has reached 9.16 million. The predecessor of “Food Commons” was the “Food Sharing Project” which was launched in 2009. It connects with different district groups targeting at public markets and pioneers a food sharing initiative that combines environmental protection and community mutual assistance in Hong Kong. Current district partners include Women Service Association, Tin Shui Wai Community Development Network, Action Health and Shatin Women's Association.
Now Food Commons Foundation and its “ECF Food Commons @ Shatin”, “Food Commons NT” and other “Food Commons” projects together with district partners and volunteers in 16 districts, namely Tsuen Wan, Kwai Fong, Tsing Yi, Tin Shui Wai, Yuen Long, Fanling, Sheung Shui, Shatin, Tai Wai, Ma On Shan, Fo Tan, Tai Po, Hung Hom, To Kwa Wan, Sheung Wan and Causeway Bay, recycle a variety of food that is about to be discarded due to commercial operations but is still edible. The main food types are vegetables and fruits. Others include packaged food, soy products, rice, canned food, bread, dairy drinks, meal boxes, etc. The beneficiary is mainly the elderly. It also covers low-income families, CSSA recipients, general families, elderly people who live alone, single-parent families, the disabled, cleaners, scavengers, the homeless, etc. For years, Food Commons Foundation have been promoting food collection and sharing through action, reducing the load of landfills, creating green employment opportunities and benefitting people who need food assistance which is a three-win situation.
Food Commons Foundation
6 September 2023