Waste avoidance, re-use and recycling are the key elements of the government's waste management policy. Since 1998, the government has published the Waste Reduction Framework Plan, which sets out the various initiatives for waste reduction. While the government is exploring different ways to reduce waste generation, there will still be a need for landfills to dispose of the fraction of waste that cannot be recycled and residues from bulk waste reduction facilities.

Hong Kong's waste arising has been growing beyond the government projection since early 1990's. The growing waste loads have meant landfills are filling up faster than expected. Three strategic landfills were designed and built in 1990's and meant to last until 2020, but now they will be full in early to mid 2010¡¦s.

The Government has identified immediate actions to be taken to alleviate the problem.  In December 2005, EPD published "A Policy Framework for the Management of Municipal Solid Waste in Hong Kong (2005-2014)" which sets out the way forward on MSW Management in Hong Kong in the next decade.  The emphasis is on community participation and the ¡§polluter pays¡¨ principle together with the provision of adequate waste treatment and disposal facilities, including landfill extension, for a sustainable waste management strategy.  The Policy Framework proposes economic tools (such as MSW charging and producer responsibility schemes) that would create incentives for the community to recycle more and discard less.  Extending the 3 existing strategic landfills to serve as final repositories for our non-recyclable or residual waste after treatment is one of the major initiatives for the management of municipal solid waste.

http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/waste/waste_maincontent.html

https://www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en/index.htm

Well sign-posted, Hong Kong's MSW Strategy