Budget 2025: Waste-to-energy scheme and electric taxis in Green City plan

Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po announced this morning a plan to get rid of Hong Kong’s landfills.

“I·PARK1”, the first waste-to-energy facility for treating municipal solid waste, will be commissioned this year. A second major facility, “I·PARK2”, is up for tender.

Once completed, “I·PARK2” is expected to treat 6,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste per day.

This year's Green City proposals also include fare reduction and recycling, green transformation of public transport, and smart green mass transit systems.

To enhance waste reduction from the source, Chan said the government will allocate an additional HK$180 million to increase the number of smart food waste recycling bins and food waste collection facilities in residential buildings across Hong Kong, expand the recycling network, and increase the amount of waste collected.

According to the Environmental Protection Department, “I·PARK1” advanced incineration technology, combined with mechanical sorting and recycling facilities to recover resources from municipal mixed waste and convert the generated heat into electricity, reducing pollutant emissions

“Hong Kong is in urgent need of facilities such as I·PARK1 and I·PARK2 in order to  convert waste into energy,” said Tsou Jin-yeu, the Founding Committee Member of the China Green Building (Hong Kong) Council.

Leung Yee-tak, Chairman of the Asian Intelligent Building Association, said construction waste is still a problem. 

“Ash produced after incineration, including bottom ash and fly ash, needs to be properly disposed of.” Leung said. “At present, there is excess capacity of building materials in the mainland, the demand for furnace bottom ash is not high, and the treatment technology of fly ash is not mature.”

“Although the facility is capable of generating electricity, the incineration process can still produce pollutants, so it needs to be strictly controlled,” he said.

“Another key point to achieving energy saving is the user. The government should also attach great importance to the energy conservation education of citizens and promote the green infrastructure in Hong Kong to a new height,” he added.

Construction is a major source of carbon emissions in Hong Kong. Data from the Hong Kong Green Building Council indicates that construction activities account for more than 90% of Hong Kong's total electricity consumption, resulting in more than 50% of carbon emissions. The global average is typically below 40%.

 “A green building with a gray person, the building will turn gray; a gray building with a green person, the building will be light green,” Leung added.