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How
to Start a Waste Paper Recycling in Residental Buildings
DO
YOU KNOW .....
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It takes 17 trees and 1500 litres of oil to make one
tonne of paper.
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In Hong Kong, over 12,000 tonnes of municipal solid
wastes are disposed of daily, or 4.4 million tonnes
a year.
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About 20% of the domestic solid waste collected is
paper.
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A pilot scheme in Tuen Mun indicated that an average
household throws away 1 kg of newspaper every week.
That's one tree a year.
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Producing recycling paper creates 74% less air pollution
and 35% less water pollution than producing paper
from virgin fibres.
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[Imageof Waste Paper Recycling From Home] |
It is
a very simple operation. You can do it in any way that suits
your situation most. The following are some guidelines to
help you formulate a plan for the implementation and running
of such a programme :
A.
What are the objectives of a Waste Paper Recycling Programme
in residential buildings?
The objectives
are :
- to
contribute towards an environmental cause by saving
landfill space, conserving natural resources and reducing
pollution; and
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to cultivate an environmental awareness among residents.
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B. What specific targets do we want to achieve?
The targets
are :
- to
separate all recyclable paper waste from other wastes at
source; and
- to
dispose of the paper waste to waste dealers or paper mills
for recycling.
C. What is the optimum scale of the programme?
This
is flexible. It could be organised on the basis of individual
buildings or a number of buildings. The greater number of
households/buildings participating will, of course, make the
programme more viable. So, co-operate with residents of your
neighbouring buildings in these recycling programmes.
D.
What organisational set up is required?
An organising
committee with representatives of tenants and owners should
be formed under a local organisation such as the Mutual Aid
Committee, the Building Management Committee, the Owners'
Corporation, the Area Committee or any neighbourhood organisation.
To ensure effectiveness, the committee should not operate
as an independent body unless there is no parent organisation
that it can affiliate to.
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