The Macao government has a slew of initiatives planned to help cut down on the amount of household waste and single-use plastics in the city, says Raymond Tam, the director of the Environmental Protection Bureau (known by its Portuguese initials DSPA).
Speaking to local media outlets on Sunday on the sidelines of an event to usher in World Environment Day on 5 June, Tam said that construction of an organic recycling centre is due to begin this year, with the project expected to take between two to three years to complete.
He added that DSPA was searching for residential buildings that could serve as trial locations for a pilot household organic waste programme.
[See more: Macao lags behind when it comes to household recycling]
Tam mentioned further plans to reduce plastic waste, but remained tight-lipped on details pending a mid-term assessment of the current policies. “We will definitely have new projects for next year,” he pledged.
He also said two additional “Eco Fun” stations that allow residents to recycle a range of goods and materials would be added to the current network of seven centres. “This month, we will be adding two new Eco Fun stations in the Toi San district and Rua do Cunha respectively,” the DSPA director said.
While the government is stepping up measures to reduce waste, Macao continues to produce a substantial amount of it, with official statistics revealing that there was 15 percent more waste in 2023 than in 2022.
