DSPA to launch new pilot project for food waste collection at private buildings

The Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) is to launch a pilot project aiming to collect food waste from residential buildings, the director of DSPA, Raymond Tam, said to the media on the sidelines of the launching of the festival for the celebration of World Environment Day that took place on Sunday at Praça da Amizade in Central Macau.

Tam told the media that this project will be conducted in phases, with the first phase to involve collecting domestic waste at large residential complexes.

The DSPA director also added that this pilot project is part of the work related to creating an Organic Waste Recovery Center in Macau and also to the opening of the new public housing developments.

Tam added that the construction of the Center will be moving forward before the end of this year.

According to information provided by DSPA, food waste currently represents between 30 to 40% of the total urban solid waste in Macau, representing in 2022 some 5,500 tons, up 6.2% from the previous year.

The collection of food waste in Macau as a pilot project started back in 2012 and involved mostly food and beverage establishments, hotels and social welfare institutions.

Since 2021, the DSPA has extended this program to several supermarkets, public services, schools, banks, and other places, starting also to collect household food waste via the installation of food waste collection points and treatment machines.

Currently, the food waste has only been processed to produce soil fertilizers; the DSPA said that the goal of constructing the Recovery Center is that the facility may produce electricity from biogas, with that biogas generated by the anaerobic digestion of the food waste.

Data disclosed by the DSPA shows that, from 2021 to 2023, there was a major step in the collection of food waste, with such collection passing from 180.68 tons (2021) to 680.97 tons (2023).

The same data disclosure shows that, in only the first four months of this year, some 256.51 tons of this type of waste has already been collected through the different community programs.

The Organic Waste Recovery Center, budgeted at MOP1.8 billion, should be completed in about three years.

Authorities estimate that when the Center is in full operation it will be able to process around 150 tons of food waste per day.

Gov’t to revise rules on single-use plastic next year

At the same event, the director of DSPA, Raymond Tam, also added that the authorities are preparing to produce amendments to the current regulations over single-use plastics in Macau.

According to Tam, these rules will be revised next year for the implementation of stricter measures and further restrictions on several kinds of products, such as plastic cutlery, non-biodegradable plastic plates, and cups, as well as disposable Styrofoam food trays.