Since China imposed its ‘green fence’ policy, restricting the types of waste plastic being sent to the mainland for further recycling, Hong Kong recyclers have suffered and are looking for ways to adjust to the policy changes. According to the Federation of Hong Kong Recycle, Hong Kong plastic recycling companies are losing HK$200,000 to HK$300,000 per month due to the the new policy. Furthermore, an estimate 10,000 metric tons of waste plastic that would otherwise be sent to China are now being sent to Hong Kong landfills, exacerbating Hong Kong’s current landfill problem.

The issue is Hong Kong’s capacity to process the materials. However, Hong Kong Telford Envirotech Group Ltd. believes building a pyrolysis factory to convert plastic waste to fuel oil can alleviate Hong Kong’s dependence on mainland China and other countries for its plastic waste. The pyrolysis plant, which is set to open in 2015 in the Tuen Mun section, would have an initial capacity to process 7,200 metric tons of waste plastic annually. This operation would be able to produce up to 4,300 metric tons of fuel oil. The plastics that would be processed would most likely be lower-value plastics, such as polyethylene bags or PVC, since these materials are the ones most likely being thrown away. Telford’s initial proposal was submitted to the Hong Kong government in January, saying that the plant could help meet Hong Kong’s waste reduction goals while developing the local recycling industry.

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