Download PDF : sfe_zw_food_service_waste_reduction_ordinance
May 27th, 2013:
cd_ordinance
Download PDF : cd_ordinance
Plea for sweetener in pile of garbage
Hong Kong Standard
| A professor at Hong Kong Baptist University says people should be offered rewards to sort household waste because the idea of a levy alone is more a punishment than encouragement.
Kelly Ip Monday, May 27, 2013 A professor at Hong Kong Baptist University says people should be offered rewards to sort household waste because the idea of a levy alone is more a punishment than encouragement. Speaking at the City Forum yesterday, biology professor Jonathan Wong Woon-chung said the government “has to propose a clear plan on how to reduce waste, such as offering incentives for the public to handle food waste. “It can also consider legislation on waste recycling to reduce the burden on landfills.” But he also said there is need for society at large to reflect on consumerism because reducing waste at source is important. Secretary for the Environment Wong Kam-sing last week outlined a 10-year strategy to reduce waste by 40percent. According to data from the Environmental Protection Department, every person in Hong Kong is dumping an average of 1.27 kilograms of waste each day. Planners want to reduce it to 1kg by 2017 and 0.8kg by 2022. A levy on householders is a key part of the strategy. That could see households charged from HK$20 to HK$30 every month. Jonathan Wong also said more than 50percent of waste is dumped into landfills compared to 2percent in Taiwan. “The 2percent is only the remains of waste after treatment at the incinerators,” (i.e. ASH) he explained (and he means by VOLUME not by WEIGHT). “It might be the direction Hong Kong society should consider.” (to pollute the environment and landfill toxic ash and flyash forever) The government plans to build incinerators, though that may only proceed after a judicial review now under way against its plan to build such a facility on Shek Kwu Chau is finished. The policy advocacy manager of the World Green Organisation, Angus Wong Chun-yin, said he is worried that the government may not be able to reach its target of reducing household waste by 40percent within 10 years if it relies solely on the successful imposition of a charge. (Oh really ? http://www.zerowasteeurope.eu/2013/04/rossano-ercolini-president-of-zero-waste-europe-2013-wins-the-green-nobel-award/) Government planners may also have to look at building more than one incinerator facility to reach the target if a waste-charging system failed, Wong said. Sai Kung district council member Christine Fong Kwok-shan said Tseung Kwan O residents are bothered by smells from a landfill that should not be expanded. “The government should consider developing landfills on islands instead of places near residential areas to minimize negative effects towards residents,” Fong said. Additionally, she said, the government should focus on waste being produced by commercial enterprises and construction sites. |
Electric car startup Better Place liquidating after $850 million investment
Electric car startup Better Place liquidating after $850 million investment
In 2008, Better Place partnered with Renault to build an electric car and create a system of battery swapping stations, but the concept never gained momentum.
by Dan Farber
May 26, 2013 7:43 AM PDT Follow @dbfarber
Better Place hoped to transform the energy industry with electric cars and battery switching stations.
(Credit: Better Place)
Better Place wanted to make the world a better place by replacing gas stations with battery switching stations that would remove the driving mileage limitations from electric cars and eventually rid the world of fossil-fuel burning vehicles. But after six years and burning through $850 million, the company is filing for liquidation in an Israeli court.
As reported by the Associated Press, Better Place’s Board of Directors issued a written statement Sunday announcing that the company was winding down.
“This is a very sad day for all of us. We stand by the original vision as formulated by Shai Agassi of creating a green alternative that would lessen our dependence on highly polluting transportation technologies. Unfortunately, the path to realizing that vision was difficult, complex and littered with obstacles, not all of which we were able to overcome.”
In 2008, Better Place partnered with Renault to build an electric car and create a system of battery swapping stations along highways, similar to gas stations. However, the concept never gained momentum, with fewer than 1,500 electric cars operating in Israel and Denmark today.
Shai Agassi, the founder and CEO of Better Place until October 2012, focused the company on serving smaller countries with shorter commutes and high gas prices, such as Israel, Denmark and Japan, as well as states, such as Hawaii.
Better Place had built more than 130 charging stations on four islands in Hawaii, for example, but sold them in March 2013 to OpConnect as part of an effort to reduce costs and concentrate on Denmark and Israel.
Better Place switchable batteries would offer electric cars unlimited range and reduce dependency on oil.
(Credit: Better Place)
Reuters cited a report from Israel Corp., owner of about 30 percent of Better Place, that the company had accumulated a deficit of $561.5 million and was expecting more losses in November 2012. Subsequent efforts to raise more funds were unsuccessful, leading to the shutdown of the company.
In addition to Israel Corp., Better Place investors included General Electric, UBS, HSBC and Morgan Stanley.