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CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia (Gaia) held a forum entitled ‘Municipal Solid Waste Charging’ at ZCB (Zero Carbon Building) in Kowloon Bay today (25 April).  The forum, under the ‘Environment and Climate Change Forum Series’, gathered engineering, environmental and academic experts to discuss and share their insights on municipal solid waste charging.  152 participants from public or private sectors, local schools and tertiary institutions took part in the event.

Ir Kenny WONG, Principal Consultant of the Hong Kong Productivity Council and Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Waste Management Association, was the keynote speaker.  Other guest speakers included Mr Angus HO, Executive Director of Greeners Action, and Dr Eric TSANG, Associate Professor at the Department of Science and Environmental Studies of the Hong Kong Institute of Education.  The forum was chaired by Prof. Steve YIM, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Resource Management, CUHK.

Ir Wong was formerly Chairman of the Environment Division at Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) and he is an expert in environment management such as waste and food waste management.  He advocates the practice of generating energy from waste and considers it a sustainable solution for solid waste management.  At the forum, Ir Wong discussed how the implementation of municipal solid waste charging might help manage waste in Hong Kong.  He pointed out that municipal solid waste charging scheme could provide an incentive to reduce waste and thus promote positive behavioural changes.  The four factors critical to the success of a waste charging scheme include: the charging mechanism, the scheme’s coverage, the charging level and the availability of waste recycling facilities.  To solve the waste problem, apart from adopting novel waste treatment facilities, it takes collaboration among the government, the commercial sector and the community.

During the Question and Answer session, participants raised questions on municipal solid waste charging, and shared views on Hong Kong’s sustainable development.

CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia

CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia is a 5-year community engagement programme launched in 2012 by CUHK, with a generous donation of HK$54 million by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.  Committed to paving a sustainable future for Hong Kong, the programme aims at promoting environmental conservation and sustainability in local communities, through public education and carbon reduction partnerships with schools and non-governmental organizations.

In order to draw on collective wisdom and to encourage active public participation in tackling various environmental issues, CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia has organized the ‘Environment and Climate Change Forum Series’ to invite experts and practitioners from different fields, as well as members of the public to look into different perspectives of environmental challenges and impacts of climate change, and to develop possible solutions.

The Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change (MoCC) maintained by Gaia is open for free to the public.  The MoCC showcases the ‘Three Poles’ (the North Pole, the South Pole and Mount Everest) collection of the renowned Hong Kong explorer Dr Rebecca Lee, innovative research in environment, energy and sustainability initiated by CUHK, and the Jockey Club’s initiatives that promote green living in the community.

More details of the CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia can be found at www.cuhk.edu.hk/gaia.