In recent years, the Hong Kong government has been actively supporting the public to go green. It’s not new that we see recycling bins in the neighborhood which have blended in the community for quite a while already. What’s new is the recent wave of recycling stations, recycling stores and recycling spots in different districts. However, the promotion of them is in fact lacking.
With this article, we hope to re-introduce them to you because beside protecting the planet earth with our act of recycling, it actually helps us save some money, too. We care about the planet Earth, as you’re part of the Earth, of course, we care about you. Sharing is caring, right? So we’d love to share this with you to help you save some money with a GREEN$ smart card.
GREEN$ smart card
Photo taken from Environmental Protection Department
The GREEN$ (Greeny Coins) smart card was introduced on 16 November 2020. Its purpose was to encourage the public to recycle with the reward of earning GREEN$ and redeeming useful daily necessities, food and gift items. We can save money on buying things such as salt, sugar, oil, toilet paper, and even rice! Click here to see what else you can redeem.
To register a GREEN$ smart card, you’ll need to bring not less than 2kg of recyclables to one of the recycling stations, recycling stores or recycling spots. Once your card is successfully registered, you’re good to go. Thereafter, when you submit your recyclables, you only need to present your GREEN$ smart card or the QR code image on the back of the card. To check your GREEN$ balance and transaction records, you can visit https://reward.6green.hk/ and enter your membership number shown on the back of your card.
Another way to save your GREEN$ is to use the GREEN$ Mobile App. Simply register an account on the app, then you’ll see an e-card on the main page, where you can also check your GREEN$ balance and transaction records. You can share your membership QR code with your friends and family, so you can speed up earning more GREEN$. Teamwork makes the dream work! However, your GREEN$ can’t be shared across your smart card and the app, pick the one that’s most convenient and suitable for you. Click here to check out the Green$ Conversion Rates.
If you have any further questions, you can find most of the answers in GREEN$ FAQ.
Recycling stations
Photo taken from Environmental Protection Department
As of August 2021, there are 11 recycling stations, formerly known as community green stations, in operation in Hong Kong, according to the Environmental Protection Department. Over 13,500 tonnes of recyclables have been collected. Recycling stations mainly hold environmental events such as exhibitions and workshops to educate the public where over 8,000 events and activities have been conducted.
Recycling Stores
Photo taken from Environmental Protection Department
There are over 28 recycling stores across Hong Kong which gradually commenced operations from mid-November in 2020 until now. There are a few more coming soon. The environment and design are simple and neat. There are sorting tables, sinks and water dispensers for the users to sort out their recyclables if needed. There are also staff to assist you if you need a helping hand. If you can’t bring your recyclables during opening hours, there’s night-time self-service recycling as well!
Opening hours: 9am to 7pm (Open every day except Christmas and Chinese New Year holidays)
Recycling spots
Photo taken from Environmental Protection Department
To further encourage the public to practice clean recycling, there are over 100 recycling spots at regular locations at a weekly time schedule. If there isn’t a recycling store in your area, you might probably be able to find a recycling spot around.
Click here to check out all recycling stations, recycling stores, and recycling spots.
As there are eight types of recyclables - paper, metals, plastics, glass, regulated electrical equipment, small electrical appliances, fluorescent lamps and tubes and rechargeable batteries. We suggest you clean and separate your recyclables at home to make things easier, especially if you’re going to collect GREEN$ as they’re calculated per type of recyclables. Having them all organised and separated before heading to a recycling station/store/spot would make your journey more convenient.
Apart from the eight types of recyclables, if you have other materials such as clothes and furniture that you’d like to recycle, you might need to bring them to other recycling organizations and collections points.
Recycling actually isn’t as difficult and troublesome as you think. It just takes a little bit of time and effort, well obviously it takes everyone’s effort to make this world a better place. At the end of the day, we’re the citizens of the Earth and we surely have the responsibility to protect our home. With just a small act of yours, we can all make this world a better place.
Click here to find out more details if you’re keen to know more about the green community and other waste reduction related facilities.
Written by Cissy So
Edited by Bruce Chan