From 1 April 2024, Hong Kong residents will have to pay for waste disposal, marking a significant shift in the city’s waste management practices. The pay-as-you-throw scheme will require residents to buy government-designated plastic bags or labels to dispose of garbage. After an initial planned grace period, those in violation of the scheme will face hefty fines. The government hopes this garbage levy will encourage people to recycle more and depose of less, with similar schemes proving successful in places such as Germany, Seoul, and Taipei. In this blog, we will explore smart waste management systems which will help reduce your waste disposal costs in Hong Kong’s new pay-as-you-throw scheme.
The 3Rs are the fundamental ways to reduce waste, and once Hong Kong’s waste disposal charge comes into effect, paying more attention to these will help to reduce your costs. For the most part, abiding more by the 3Rs requires a person to make only small lifestyle changes, but those changes can have a significant positive impact on both the environment and your wallet. Perhaps you don’t need to buy that extra pair of shoes? Or perhaps you can put that shirt in a clothing donation box instead of the bin? These kinds of choices help to reduce the amount of waste or potential waste in the system. Reducing food waste is another way to keep your costs down. Hong Kong disposes of thousands of tonnes of food waste in landfills each day, and it comprises around 30% of all municipal solid waste in the city. Composting food waste is a great way to reduce this figure and the amount you have to dispose of in the bin. Thankfully, these days, there are also many smart waste management systems to help people better achieve the 3Rs. Below, we’ll take a look at a few on offer today.
GF Technovation in Hong Kong has developed a smart bin which helps cities better deal with the thousands of tonnes of municipal solid waste disposed of each day. The smart bin (seen in action below) uses IoT wireless ultrasonic fill-level sensors to detect how full the bin is. Once the bin is ready to empty, an alert is sent to the waste collection services. This allows them to optimize collection routes and reduce wasted trips. Bin capacity is also optimised through the in-built solar-powered trash compactor, further reducing wasted trips. Compaction is automatically halted if a hand is detected, and the smart bin can even detect and extinguish fires.
Smart food waste recycling bins also use IoT sensors to detect fill levels, and are equipped with auto-deodorizing and sterilizing features to help maintain a hygienic environment.
In preparation for the upcoming garbage levy, the bin can verify a user’s identity by card or QR code, weigh each load of disposed content and record it for each user. This is a particularly useful feature for property or building managers.
GF Technovation also offers an auto-sorting recycling bin. Seen in action below, the auto-sorting recycling bin uses AI and image processing technology to identify waste items automatically and sort them into plastic, paper, metal or glass. IoT sensors trigger compaction once waste reaches a pre-set level, and a digital display indicates the fill-level of each section of the bin. Data can be viewed, and reports generated via the App.
There are many ways each person can save themselves money once the pay-as-you-throw scheme begins in 2024, but it isn’t just about that. We should all embrace more sustainable habits to improve the environment, public health and our overall quality of life. GF Technovation is not only committed to helping solve waste disposal problems using innovative smart technology, it also collaborates with local organisations, schools, and communities to promote environmental awareness and encourage sustainable practices. To learn more about GF Technovation and its smart waste management systems, click here.
