Wasteful Lifestyle of Hong Kong

Wasteful lifestyle of Hong Kong On a gloomy Sunday morning, you woke up and saw the buildings were destroyed by the heavy acid rain. Then, you just sat on the sofa and started eating unpalatable breakfast which was overnight food and smell fusty. You feel tedious as the electric was cut off , no computer games and no television shows. The stinking smell made you sick and began to vomit. Fortunately, this awful situation is an imagination only. But if Hong Kong people still have the wasteful lifestyle, one day, this nightmare will come true. If we love Hong Kong and the next generation, please take actions to protect our environment.

Hong Kong has an imminent festive waste problem. According to the article which is called ‘In Hong Kong, a Precipice of Waste’, it pointed out Hong Kong campaign group Greeners Action estimated that more than 9,200 trees are being used for 180 million ‘Lai See’ envelopes. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong office of Friends of the Earth calculated that one-fifth of the food at traditional Chinese banquets is thrown away, namely Hong Kong people dumped more than 2,120,000 mooncakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Moreover, City administrators warned that Hong Kong will run out of landfill space in these ten years. As a consequence, deforestation, large amount of solid and food waste, it may lower the quality of air, fill up the landfills and have the problem of food shortage. It threats our living environment and living standard. In fact, Hong Kong government has implemented some plans to save the environment.

For the recycling rate, Hong Kong government has implemented the ‘Management of Municipal Solid Waste’, sets out some comprehensive strategies, for instance, resource separation, which helps improving the municipal solid waste recovery rate from 40% in 2004 to 50% by 2014. Provide waste separation facilities on each building floor, and broadening the types of recyclables to be recovered. Then, the festive waste, such as mookcakes boxes can be recycled. On the other hand, Singapore government has executed the ‘Green Plan’, which increases the overall waste recycling rate from 44% to 60%. For example, Singapore has added more recycling bins in public areas, like food outlets, convenience stores and supermarkets. Both of them want to increase the recycling rate, let everything can be recyclable and environmental.

For supporting the recycling industry, Hong Kong government has provided 20 hectares of industrial land for building a ‘Recycle Centre’ where is in Tuen Mun. Furthermore, there is another way to donate unwanted but still usable items to a recycling organization, namely Feeding Hong Kong Limited, HKCTU Workers ' Support Recycling Centre and Tai Po Environmental Association. However, some organizations accept donation of food only. Thus, these methods can encourage the recycling industry and tackle the festive waste problem, for instance, near the Chinese New Year, these organizations can accept many old and untrendy clothes from different families. Also, in the Mid-Autumn, if there are too much mooncakes, you can donate the mooncakes to the organizations that have mentioned. Besides, Singapore promotes innovative technologies to recycle and reduce waste, carry out projects such as the recycling of incineration bottom ash, and scrap tyres. Also, Singapore improves the quality of recycled products, facilitate the linkups between the suppliers and potential users of recycled products.

Hong Kong is unique and our the biggest home. If we love our home, we must be an environmental person to rescue the environment. Do not waste food and other items, such as the package paper and the decoration of Christmas. Love Hong Kong, start from now.

References:
BETTINA WASSENER (2011/2/6), In Hong Kong, a Precipice of Waste, The New York Times
GovHK, Retrieved from 4/12/2012, from http://www.gov.hk/tc/residents/environment/waste/wasteredrecyc.htm GovHK, Retrieved from 4/12/2012, from http://www.gov.hk/tc/residents/environment/waste/msw.htm The Singapore Green Plan, Retrieved from 4/12/2012, form
http://www.uncsd2012.org/content/documents/The%20Singapore%20Green%20Plan%202012.pdf

References: BETTINA WASSENER (2011/2/6), In Hong Kong, a Precipice of Waste, The New York Times GovHK, Retrieved from 4/12/2012, from http://www.gov.hk/tc/residents/environment/waste/wasteredrecyc.htm GovHK, Retrieved from 4/12/2012, from http://www.gov.hk/tc/residents/environment/waste/msw.htm The Singapore Green Plan, Retrieved from 4/12/2012, form http://www.uncsd2012.org/content/documents/The%20Singapore%20Green%20Plan%202012.pdf