Teams at Designing Hong Kong have conducted research into the opportunity for recycling at public markets. Last year, we published an article proposing to include Green@Community recycling facilities at all public markets. Government has adopted this proposal. The renovation under the Market Modernization Programme for Aberdeen Market, which is to re-open this week, was changed and space is now set aside for a recycling store.
Green@Community is a fast-growing network of recycling stores operated by Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and funded by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD). To-date, many of these stores are situated in – expensive – commercial properties. The following article examines the opportunity of integrating Green@Community recycling facilities at the four public markets: Not only for the low rent, but also because it is convenient for residents.
New Green@Aberdeen in the renovated Aberdeen Market
Green@Community and the Market Modernization Programme
In 2018, the government launched a 10-year market modernization program. $2 billion is set aside for the design and renovation of outdated and often dilapidated markets. Six markets have been selected for this first phase including the Aberdeen Market, Kowloon City market, Lai Wan market, Yeung Uk Road market, Ngau Tau Kok market, and North Kwai Chung Market. Construction work started late 2021 in Aberdeen. The works have been completed and the market will reopen this week, 26 April 2023.
Markets are conveniently located retail hubs for nearby residents. In addition to recycling daily waste such as carton and Styrofoam boxes from the stall operators, markets can be used to collect recyclables from citizens who come to shop. The market modernization program offers the opportunity to build the necessary recycling facilities.
Managing the waste of markets
The refuse rooms of the outdated markets are small and unable to cope with waste and recyclables generated by the trade. At Yeung Uk Road Market, more than 60% of customers interviewed considered the current waste disposal as “not optimal”. Key concerns are the piles of polyfoam and carton boxes dumped inside and outside markets. These obstruct pathways and result in hygiene concerns over mosquitoes and rodents.
The foam and cardboard boxes which are in good shape are either re-used by the stall holders or collected by recyclers from the market cleaners. More recently, broken polyfoam boxes at some markets are collected and processed by a government supported scheme (“Missing Link”).
Views from stall operators
In interviews conducted by Designing Hong Kong, most stall operators supported our proposal to collect recyclables. They noted though that the recycling store must be well managed and operate efficiently. Their key concern is hygiene especially since they experienced that residents were reluctant to visit the market during the pandemic.
“It’s important to have proper management and maintenance. If the staff is not doing their work properly this whole thing would be a failure.” Another owner added that “Workers at the recycling station need to be efficient, if not, those recyclables will pile up and worsen the market’s hygiene.”
The stall operators who agreed to a Green@Community facility hoped that it would attract more citizens to the market. Others hoped that it would make the markets cleaner or supported recycling in general. The objecting stall operators considered dedicating space to recycling as unnecessary as it may impact the size of their stalls. Others were neutral as market renovation was yet to start.
Views from public
Residents often conceive the existing Green@Community stores to be inconvenient due to insufficient branches and their remote location. The public gave a warm welcome to our proposal. 84% of interviewees agreed on recycling facilities in the modernized public markets.
Importantly, convenient recycling stations will alter citizens’ daily routines. In the survey we conducted in Ngau Tau Kok, 58% of interviewees never recycled before. Yet, 66% of them claimed that they are willing to recycle once a recycling station is set up in the market. “I can carry the recycling materials to the market and bring the food back home.”
As markets are the focal point of nearby communities, it is not difficult to understand why people will consider it appropriate to include Green@Community facilities in markets. The revised modernization program will help shape the renovated market into a true community hub for Aberdeen.
Urging Government to include recycling at all public markets
The research conducted by Designing Hong Kong has shown that the public supports integrating Green@Community facilities into the public markets. The inclusion of recycling facilities in the Aberdeen Market refurbishment mirrors the newly established collaboration between the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Environmental Protection Department. As the Market Modernization Scheme only covers a small number of markets, we urge government to expeditiously introduce recycling at all markets Hong Kong.
街市都可以做回收? — 由「綠在香港仔」開始
創建香港早前開展了有關在公眾街市設立「綠在區區」的研究，去年亦曾發表文章建議在街市內設立「綠在區區」回收設施。最近政府採納了這項建議，並在即將因街市現代化計劃而重開的香港仔街市中，修改了平面圖，加入了回收店。
「綠在區區」是一個由環境保護署及非政府組織合作管理遍佈全港回收網絡。直到目前為止，大部份的回收店皆租用昂貴的商業舖位營運。對我們而言，街市可作為其中一個遍佈全港的營運點，不僅因為租金低廉，還因為街市通常都設立在方便市民的位置。以下文章將探討在另外四個已納入街市現代化計劃的街市中設立 「綠在區區」設施的機會。
新改建的香港仔街市將設有「綠在香港仔」
「綠在區區」與街市現代化計劃
政府已於2018年開展了一個爲期十年的街市現代化計劃，投資20億元以更新公衆街市。 此計劃將為過時和破舊的街市更新室內設計和設施。 為此，六個街市，包括九龍城街市、荔灣街市、楊屋道街市、牛頭角街市、香港仔街市及北葵涌街市列入街市現代化計劃之中。香港仔街市已於2021年開始更新工程，現時工程已經完成，並於2023年4月26日重新開放。
街市往往是社區的樞紐，位置通常設立對居民方便的地方。在街市設立「綠在區區」不但可以處理好街市產生的發泡膠及紙皮，更可以鼓勵買菜的市民順道處理家中的回收物。我們認為街市現代化計劃正正提供一個契機增設回收的地方供社區使用。
緩解街市的廢物棄置問題
大部份早期街市的垃圾房面積較少，並不能應付現時街市每天所生產的垃圾及回收物。在荃灣楊屋道街市，超過六成顧客認為現時廢物處置方式並不理想。他們指出發泡膠箱會在街市內外傾倒棄置。這些被胡亂棄置的發泡膠箱不但阻礙附近居民，而且會滋生蚊子等，構成嚴重公共衛生問題。
現時很多檔主都已經盡可能回收及重用部份發泡膠箱或紙皮箱，部份的回收工人亦會協助收集並進行回收。近年部份街市的發泡膠箱亦會收集起來並交予回收商（例如迷失的寶藏—發泡膠回收行動）作回收及加工處理。
街市檔主的意見
在我們早前進行的訪問，超過一半的受訪檔主都支持我們的建議。他們指出回收點一定要妥善管理並有效地運作。衛生問題亦是他們主要的關注，有檔主表示在疫情期間有部份市民因衛生考量而對公眾街市卻步。
街市檔主於訪問中表示：「有妥善管理非常重要。如果員工沒有完成他們的工作，整件事都會變得失敗。」另一個街市檔主補充，「回收點的工人需具備效率，否則，回收物只會堆積起來，令街市衛生情況變得更差。」
贊同方案的檔主希望設立回收點能夠吸引更多市民到街市，亦有檔主表示有效的回收能夠令街市更整潔。而反對的檔主則認為回收設施是不必要的，因爲這可能使店鋪位置縮小。而有人覺得現時難以評論，因爲街市現代化計劃仍然遙遙無期。
街市顧客的意見
對於街市顧客而高，有多名受訪者表示「綠在區區」設施位置偏遠和分支不足，因此對我們的建議表示熱烈歡迎。在訪問中，有85%的受訪者同意在現代化街市設立回收點，反映大多數人確實支持這個想法。
更重要的是，方便的回收點可以改變市民的日常生活習慣。 在我們在牛頭角進行的訪問中，58% 的受訪者表示自己從未回收過廢物。 然而，66% 的受訪者表示，一旦於街市裏面建立了綠色回收點，他們願意進行回收。有受訪者更表示，「我可以將回收物帶到街市，再把食材帶回家。」
街市作為社區的聚腳點，不難明白為何大部份受訪市民都認同將「綠在區區」設施加入到街市裡。香港仔街市的最多設計將成為一個新的榜樣，將回收設施帶入街市，便利更多的市民。
敦促政府將回收納入其他街市
我們進行的研究顯示公眾普遍支持將 「綠在區區」 設施納入街市。在香港仔街市的翻新工程中加入回收設施，反映了食物環境衛生署與環境保護署之間新建立的合作關係。 由於街市現代化計劃只涵蓋少數街市，我們促請政府盡快研究在香港所有街市設立類似的設施，方便市民及檔主。
