Four companies will be responsible for the design, construction and operation of the Macao government’s organic waste recycling centre, according to a copy of the 18-year concession contract that was published today by the government.
The firms are China Railway First Group, Tongfang Environment, Wangneng Environment and Macao Build.
Construction of the centre is expected to take just over three years. As part of the contract, each company will be granted 720 million patacas and will be required to pay to the authorities 30 percent of the revenue generated from the sale of renewable energy, waste oil and the export of organic matter.
[See more: Macao is looking to ramp up measures to reduce municipal waste]
The recycling centre will be situated to the east of the current construction waste landfill and will be responsible for handling organic matter such as food waste, waste water from portable toilets, as well as grease and waste water carried by tankers.
The building of an organic recycling centre is part of the government’s latest effort to reduce the amount of waste being produced in the city. Other initiatives include the establishment of two new “Eco Fun” stations for recycling, a pilot household organic waste program, as well as legislation to limit the availability of single-use plastic.
Waste continues to be a significant problem in the SAR, with official data indicating that there was a 15 percent jump in waste generation between 2022 and 2023. Meanwhile, the city’s construction waste landfill is filling up, with the authorities hoping to resolve the issue by building a highly controversial artificial island from waste material off one of Macao’s most scenic stretches of coast.
