Dr. Jason Lam was interviewed by TVB Pearl to discuss different waste problems in Hong Kong
Dr. Jason Lam, Assistant Professor, was interviewed by TVB Pearl (Pearl Magazine) to share his view on the wood waste and e-waste problems faced in Hong Kong. The interview was broadcast on Channel 84 TVB Pearl on 21st November 2021.
Hong Kong discards hundreds of tonnes of wood waste to landfills every day. Wood waste can take a long time to decompose in landfills due to its high lignin content. If recycled properly, wood can be upcycled into various useful products and chemical feedstock to mitigate our fossil dependence.
Besides wood waste, Hong Kong also generates a substantial amount of e-waste annually. Despite the Basel convention and the operation of WEEE-Park, most of the discarded electronics from Hong Kong are still shipped to developing countries. These e-waste streams are likely to be processed with sub-standard practices, such as open-burning, creating highly persistent toxic compounds, such as dioxin or various brominated polyaromatics.
In this interview, Dr. Lam shared his view on the issues of wood waste disposal in HK landfill, and the environmental consequences of the improper disposal of e-waste.
