Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre launches inaugural food waste campaign

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Management Limited (HML) has launched its inaugural food waste collection campaign - Green @ HKCEC - to enhance public awareness of food waste sorting.

The campaign, launched at the Hong Kong Book Fair (held from 19th to 25th July) received huge support from exhibitors and visitors with almost 2,300kg of food waste collected.

The food waste will be sent to O・Park1, the HKSAR Government’s food waste processing facility, for upcycling into energy. Determined to its green promise, HML indicated its plan to expand the 'Green @ HKCEC' to other areas and would also seek to promote the importance of waste reduction at source through different activities.

During the seven day Book Fair, HML put in place waste sorting and recycling bins at the Food@Grand Hall and Food@Hall 5E (F&B area for exhibitors).  The HKCEC Buddy 'ExhiBit' took on the role of Green @ HKCEC ambassador to play quizzes about food waste recycling with children.

HML Managing Director Monica Lee-Müller said notes “HML would like to thank the organiser, exhibitors, visitors and contractors for their support of Green @ HKCEC. The campaign has not only enhanced public awareness of food waste sorting but also increased the HML team’s resonance with the green pledge and drive to put it into action. HML is one of the first organisations in Hong Kong to utilise O・Park1 since its opening in 2018. In a move to offer tangible support to waste reduction, food waste collected from restaurants, kitchens, and banquets at the HKCEC is collected and sent to O・Park1 for transformation to energy.”

In addition to promoting food waste sorting and recycling, HML expanded its recycling efforts to cover plastic wrap last year. Plastic wrap is used for transport and delivery of exhibits. HML has made large recycling cages accessible during exhibition move-in and move-out to encourage organisers, exhibitors and contractors to recycle the used plastic wrap. Since the launch of the programme in July 2022 to the end of June 2023, HML has collected almost 4,900kg of plastic wrap thanks to the support of all exhibition organisers and their partners.

Images: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management) Limited (HML) launched Green @ HKCEC, its first-ever food waste collection campaign, at the Hong Kong Book Fair (top) and 4,900kg of used plastic wrap has been collected since the expansion of HML’s waste collection and recycling to cover used plastic wraps last year (below).