The Struggle for Sustainable Waste Management in Hong Kong: 1950s–2010s
As Hong Kong’s landfills are expected to reach saturated conditions by 2020, the city can no longer rely on landfilling alone as the sole solution for waste treatment in the long term. Drawing on five months of archival research at the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Public Records Office...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The White Horse Press
2019-11-01
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| Series: | Worldwide Waste |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.worldwidewastejournal.com/articles/40 |
| _version_ | 1797327072546258944 |
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| author | Nele Fabian Loretta Ieng Tak Lou |
| author_facet | Nele Fabian Loretta Ieng Tak Lou |
| author_sort | Nele Fabian |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As Hong Kong’s landfills are expected to reach saturated conditions by 2020, the city can no longer rely on landfilling alone as the sole solution for waste treatment in the long term. Drawing on five months of archival research at the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Public Records Office (PRO) in 2016 as well as 17 months of fieldwork conducted between 2012, 2013 and 2016, this article provides a much-needed overview of why sustainable waste management has always been such a challenge for Hong Kong. Focusing on the city’s dependence on landfills and its failure to integrate alternative waste management technologies, namely incineration, into its current waste management regime, we explicate Hong Kong’s waste management predicaments from the 1950s to the present day. Through a historical lens, we argue that Hong Kong’s waste problems have a historical root and that they are unlikely to be resolved unless the government is willing to learn from its past mistakes and adopt a much more proactive approach in the near future. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T06:33:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4439419fe2264d0891a87879eb935ba6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2399-7117 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T06:33:13Z |
| publishDate | 2019-11-01 |
| publisher | The White Horse Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Worldwide Waste |
| spelling | doaj.art-4439419fe2264d0891a87879eb935ba62024-02-03T11:06:48ZengThe White Horse PressWorldwide Waste2399-71172019-11-012110.5334/wwwj.4017The Struggle for Sustainable Waste Management in Hong Kong: 1950s–2010sNele Fabian0Loretta Ieng Tak Lou1Ruhr-Universität BochumUniversity of MacauAs Hong Kong’s landfills are expected to reach saturated conditions by 2020, the city can no longer rely on landfilling alone as the sole solution for waste treatment in the long term. Drawing on five months of archival research at the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Public Records Office (PRO) in 2016 as well as 17 months of fieldwork conducted between 2012, 2013 and 2016, this article provides a much-needed overview of why sustainable waste management has always been such a challenge for Hong Kong. Focusing on the city’s dependence on landfills and its failure to integrate alternative waste management technologies, namely incineration, into its current waste management regime, we explicate Hong Kong’s waste management predicaments from the 1950s to the present day. Through a historical lens, we argue that Hong Kong’s waste problems have a historical root and that they are unlikely to be resolved unless the government is willing to learn from its past mistakes and adopt a much more proactive approach in the near future.https://www.worldwidewastejournal.com/articles/40waste managementlandfillsland reclamationincinerationrecyclingsustainabilityhong kong |
| spellingShingle | Nele Fabian Loretta Ieng Tak Lou The Struggle for Sustainable Waste Management in Hong Kong: 1950s–2010s Worldwide Waste waste management landfills land reclamation incineration recycling sustainability hong kong |
| title | The Struggle for Sustainable Waste Management in Hong Kong: 1950s–2010s |
| title_full | The Struggle for Sustainable Waste Management in Hong Kong: 1950s–2010s |
| title_fullStr | The Struggle for Sustainable Waste Management in Hong Kong: 1950s–2010s |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Struggle for Sustainable Waste Management in Hong Kong: 1950s–2010s |
| title_short | The Struggle for Sustainable Waste Management in Hong Kong: 1950s–2010s |
| title_sort | struggle for sustainable waste management in hong kong 1950s 2010s |
| topic | waste management landfills land reclamation incineration recycling sustainability hong kong |
| url | https://www.worldwidewastejournal.com/articles/40 |
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