Hong Kong Eyes GBA Incinerators to Hit Zero-Landfill Target

Hong Kong is being urged to utilize waste-to-energy (WTE) incinerators in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) instead of solely investing in local facilities, as it seeks to eliminate landfills by 2035 and generate over 900 million kilowatt-hours of electricity.

In 2023 alone, Hong Kong produced 3.97 million tonnes of waste, according to the Environmental Protection Department. Experts, including Dr. Iu and Dr. Shipeng Zhang from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, argue that the region’s vast network of 700+ incinerators, including Zhuhai’s Environmental Biomass Thermal Power Project, already has the capacity to handle all of Hong Kong’s waste. 

Key Highlights

• Hong Kong produced 3.97M tonnes of waste in 2023; zero-landfill target by 2035
• I•PARK1 will process 3,000 tonnes/day; I•PARK2 will double this by 2030
• Experts urge use of GBA incinerators like Zhuhai’s plant for immediate needs

The Zhuhai facility alone processes up to 3,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily. “In China, there are a lot of incinerators that don’t have enough waste to burn,” Lawrence Iu, executive director at public policy think tank Civic Exchange, told Asian Power via Zoom. “We can explore collaboration with Mainland China to utilise idle facilities in the Greater Bay Area, which can ease the pressure for Hong Kong to build new facilities.” 

Locally, Hong Kong is developing its first large-scale WTE facility, I•PARK1, situated on an artificial island off Shek Kwu Chau. With a $4 billion investment, the project—under development since 2015—is nearing completion and will process 3,000 tonnes of waste per day, generating enough electricity to power 100,000 households.

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The city is also planning I•PARK2, which will be located in Tuen Mun and double I•PARK1’s capacity. However, it is not expected to be operational until 2030, prompting calls to tap GBA incineration infrastructure for interim waste management needs.

Analysts say this cross-border collaboration could accelerate Hong Kong’s zero-waste ambitions, reduce costs, and support its green energy transition without waiting for years of infrastructure build-out.