HK's Only Carton Recycler's Dead End

Yip says Mil Mill has been given a Dec 31 deadline to leave

The Hong Kong government has very little interest in protecting the environment. The latest news is a drinks carton recycler being kicked out of its space by Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, a body set up by the government. 

The science park has given Mil Mill till the end of the year to operate and then it has to vacate the 20,000 sq ft plot in Yuen Long. In order to process everything and leave by December 31, Mil Mill's executive director Harold Yip Man-ki says they will have to stop taking in drink cartons in October.

He added the deadline is hardly enough time for the recycler to prepare for its departure.

The plant processes 3 tonnes of waste per day

Mil Mill is the only recycler in Hong Kong that can process drink cartons that are made with layers of polythene and aluminium for water resistance and durability. Recycling these cartons is considered to have lower profit margins compared to other recycling ventures because of the additional work needed to break down the coating.

In 2019, Mil Mill rented the current space in a three-year contract and then last year science park extended the least to the end of 2022.

It was in September that Mil Mill received an email from the landlord to vacate the premises without stating a reason why or any suggestions of renewing the lease.

The city's environmental department offered three alternative sites for Mil Mill: in Cheung Chau, Chai Wan and Stonecutters Island. But Yip rejected these offers, saying the locations were not suitable.

It is hard to understand why the science park is kicking the recycler out since its mandate is to support small and medium-sized enterprises. At the same time the government half-heartedly trying to solve the situation started by another government body. 

Seems strange and awkward.

Mil Mill takes in these drink cartons to recycle

This is happening at a time when Hongkongers feel even more passionate about saving the city's natural environment and are more environmentally conscious. 

If any thing the government should be leasing the land for the pulp mill since the current space is run by a government body. Mil Mill only recycles 3 tonnes of the 67 tonnes of waste produced in Hong Kong everyday. Hong Kong needs several of these recyclers to try to reduce as much garbage as possible.

It is imperative for the government to encourage more companies and individuals to recycle, if not set up its own enterprise to do so. But instead it shifts the responsibility on people who really care about the environment. They know they aren't going to make much money, but they feel strongly about landfills and excessive waste.

The current recycling bins in the city are a joke -- people haphazardly dump things into the wrong bins -- because the government has not educated them properly on how to separate their waste. 

As a result when they migrate abroad, Hongkongers have had complaints from neighbours about them having little understanding of how recycling works and what part we play in all of this. It is embarrassing that they know so little about it and why it's so important to participate and do it properly.

So this demonstrates how the government has given recycling such a low priority, not enforcing nor encouraging it.

Why does the government want its land to become a massive garbage dump? Very hard to understand its lack of interest in the environment and the three Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle.