Alba’s helping hand to process Hong Kong’s e-scrap

China – Construction has begun on what is claimed to be Hong Kong’s first electronics recycling plant. Located at the EcoPark in Tuen Mun, the facility will handle a large proportion of the 70 000 tonnes of e-scrap said to be discarded by the city’s households and businesses every year.

The government of Hong Kong has selected Alba Group subsidiary Alba Integrated Waste Solutions not only to design and build the plant, but also to provide a collection service and operate the facility until 2027. The Chinese government has contributed Euro 65 million to the facility’s construction and operational costs, which are expected to average around Euro 24 million a year.

The facility will use ‘state-of-the art’ technology to extract secondary raw materials from TV sets, computers, washing machines and air-conditioners and will also manage the hazardous materials contained in the equipment. According to Alba’s ceo Axel Schweitzer, the facility will have the capacity to process 30 000 tonnes of e-scrap per year and the materials will be sold primarily to buyers in mainland China.

With the introduction of a producer responsibility scheme in 2016, the government of Hong Kong will develop regulations to enhance controls over the storage, treatment, reprocessing and recycling of the regulated electrical equipment.