Improving Hong Kong: Volume 6, Autumn 2009 p18
Stop Wasting Food!
by Ryan, Ip Ho Leung
Air pollution and water pollution problems have long been discussed in Hong Kong. The food waste
problem is also becoming severe in Hong Kong. According to the Hong Kong Environmental
Protection Department (EPD), food waste accounted for 38.4% of domestic wastes in Hong Kong
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during year 2007 . Among the food wasted, it was found that Hong Kong students wasted up to 10
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tons of food everyday . Therefore, the food waste problem has to be tackled. This article will start by
discussing the reasons leading to the food waste problem, followed by stating its impacts on Hong
Kong. Some practical solutions will be given and a conclusion will be drawn at the end.
Sources of Food Wastes
Food wastes are mainly from restaurants and households. The problem for restaurants is that they
have to prepare excess food every day in order to satisfy the needs of all customers. But all the
excess prepared food has to be disposed of every day for hygienic reasons. Also, different ways are
used to attract more customers such as increasing the amounts of meals so that the prices of meals
look more attractive and justifiable. However, this increases the chance that the customers cannot
finish the whole meal, and hence the amount of food waste is increased. The problem for households
is that in Chinese culture it is thought to be better to have something left at the end of meals especially
when guests are invited. Therefore, housewives usually prepare excess food, which may lead to food
wasting. The above two main categories of food waste suggest that awareness of the problem is not
high among Hong Kong people.
Consequences of the Food Waste Problem
Wasting food actually means wasting money and natural resources. A meal costs around $20-$40 in
Hong Kong restaurants. Money, not only food, is wasted if one cannot finish the meal. Meanwhile, the
Environmental Protection Department (EPD) estimates that the three strategic waste disposal landfills
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will be filled up during the early to mid 2010s . If the problem cannot be solved, there will be many
consequential social problems including finding extra land space for landfills, producing bad odours
and toxic materials through incineration if no land is available for landfills. Therefore, the people who
will suffer most severely will be the next generations.
Some people may argue that recycling the food waste should be the responsibility of the government.
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Nevertheless, there are many practical issues including the huge cost which makes recycling difficult
to implement. It would be better if individuals were responsible for producing less food waste. Here are
some suggestions that can be implemented everyday life.
Solutions for the Food Waste Problem in Restaurants
In restaurants, the first step is to order suitable amounts of food. Individuals should estimate whether
they are able to finish the whole meal before ordering. Customers can enjoy saving a dollar if they
Improving Hong Kong: Volume 6, Autumn 2009 p19
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order less rice in some restaurants . Also, everyone may consider bringing a lunch box every day. If
people cannot finish the whole meal, a lunch box can be used to take away the leftovers. The leftovers
can simply be re-heated for another meal. In this way, people can enjoy two meals by spending the
cost of one meal only. More importantly, food wastes can be reduced. Moreover, people may share
their meals with their friends or family members. In this way, they can enjoy enough food but the cost
is shared.
Solutions for the Food Waste Problem At Home
In households, the first step is to prepare suitable amounts of food. A suitable amount is when family
members can eat it all. Also, when there are leftovers keep them in a refrigerator. An alternative is to
install domestic food waste decomposers. A domestic food waste decomposer can convert food
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wastes into fertilizers for plants through the actions of some microorganisms . Although it is a good
way to reduce the domestic food wastes substantially, it may not be affordable for many families.
Therefore, the government can consider subsidizing those families. The subsidies are not wasteful for
the reasons that the government can save the costs of setting up new landfill sites and dealing with
the social problems aforementioned.
Conclusion
To conclude, food wasting is becoming a serious problem in Hong Kong, which may lead to several
social problems such as wasting land space and producing toxic materials and bad odours. Everyone
should order only suitable amounts of food in a restaurant, bring a lunch box to take away leftovers
and share meals with friends. The Chinese culture of having leftovers is not environmental friendly and
hence should be ignored. People should prepare only suitable amounts of food at home and consider
installing a domestic food waste decomposer. It is the shared responsibility of the government, the
restaurant owners and the public to reduce food waste as well as to protect future generations.
References
1. Leung J., Tsoi T., Leung D., Ip N., Monitoring of Solid Waste in Hong Kong - Waste Statistics for
2007. Environmental Infrastructure Division, Environmental Protection Department; 2008, 18p.
2. Yahoo! Hong Kong Limited (in Chinese) [online]. 2008. Available:
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/081214/4/9qe4.html/. Accessed: 2009 February 25.
3. Environmental Protection Department [online]. 2008. Available:
http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/misc/ehk08/en/waste/index.html/. Accessed: 2009 February 25.
4. Environmental Protection Department [online]. 2005. Available:
http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/msw/htm_en/ch02/main.htm/. Accessed: 2009 February 25.
5. Green actions [online]. 2009. Available: http://www.greenersaction.org/gsc/public/foodwaste/20090225/20090225_IVE_SBI_YC_kickoff_PR.pdf. Accessed:
2009 March 18.
6. Yanko Design [online]. 2008. Available: http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/03/03/recycle-kitchenwaste-for-the-sake-of-your-plants&srch=5&prov=msn&utf8/. Accessed: 2009 March 18.