The average daily quantity of solid waste disposed of at landfills was 15,533 tonnes in 2021, a 5.4% rise compared to the previous year.

The findings were announced in a report by the Environmental Protection Department today.

The department said the average daily quantity of municipal solid waste disposal at landfills was 11,358 tonnes last year.

The daily per capita municipal solid waste disposal rate was 1.53kg in 2021.

Food waste was still the largest component of municipal solid waste for the year, accounting for 30%, followed by plastic waste and paper waste.

The quantity of municipal solid waste recovered for local recycling was about 280,000 tonnes last year, representing a year-on-year increase of more than 20%.

The department’s community recycling network GREEN@COMMUNITY has received positive feedback from the public since its rebranding at the end of 2020. The quantity of waste recovered jumped to about 14,000 tonnes in 2021, more than 2.5 times of the 2020 figure.

Regarding construction waste, the quantity of waste generation decreased 6% compared with 2020, the quantity transferred for direct reuse registered a 9% increase and the amount delivered to public fill reception facilities dropped 17%. The quantity disposed of at landfills increased 7%.

The recovery rate of construction materials was 93% in 2021, similar to that in 2020.

The Government will work at full steam to implement various waste reduction and recycling measures in the Waste Blueprint for Hong Kong 2035 to achieve the vision of waste reduction, resources circulation, zero landfill.

The department added it is actively preparing for the implementation of municipal solid waste charging next year at the earliest.