After the Spring Festival holiday, many people will have a large number of red envelopes left in their homes, which are a pity to throw away and feel that they are not much use. In line with the principle of conserving and reducing waste, Hong Kong environmental protection group Green Collar Action is holding a red envelope recycling campaign for the 10th consecutive year. It has set up 461 red envelope recycling points across Hong Kong, hoping to collect 15 million red envelope bags by February 26, and gradually cultivate the habit of environmentally friendly recycling.

The "Green Collar Campaign" was launched a few days ago. The 461 red envelope recycling points are located in shopping malls, betting stations, banks and other places with high traffic. Recyclable hongbao bags must be in good condition as new, and those with zodiac signs or years, self-adhesive sealing, writing, nails or nail marks, creases or tattered hongbao bags are not recyclable.

A total of 12 million red envelope bags were collected under Operation Green Collar last year, and more than 6 million can be reused after being screened, sorted and repackaged. This year's campaign saw the participation of 91 enterprises and organizations, 13 more than last year and the largest number of participating organizations in any year. The official of the organization said that the increasing participation of the public in the event over the past 10 years shows that people have gradually cultivated the habit of recycling and waste reduction during the festival.

Every Lunar New Year, Hong Kong people have the habit of "Li yes", the amount of red envelopes is not large, mainly for a good win, meaning "New Year, smooth luck", in addition to relatives and friends, community doormen, restaurant waiters, cleaning workers are often involved. But it also puts pressure on the environment. Last year, Hong Kong people used an estimated 352 million "Li Sifeng", which is equivalent to felling 18,000 trees. Therefore, the Hong Kong SAR government also supports environmental groups to organize various recycling activities to promote environmental protection and waste reduction.

However, with the increasing popularity of mobile payments in Hong Kong, many Hong Kong residents have abandoned the traditional paper red envelopes and switched to mobile apps such as wechat to send and receive red envelopes online. Statistics show that from January 28 to February 10, nearly 1 million red envelopes were sent and received by wechat Hong Kong Wallet. Some people said that no matter how the red envelope is sent, it is still a blessing and a heart.

In addition to recycling red packets, Hong Kong's Environmental Protection Department has also launched a "Peach Blossom recycling" service this year. Peach blossoms are a common decorative plant for Chinese New Year, but they are often carelessly discarded after the festival. Hong Kong's Environmental Protection Department recently said that from Feb 18 to 25, the public and industrial and commercial organizations who want to dispose of peach blossoms can consider transporting them to designated places for recycling, and the department will make the collected proceeds into garden mulch, compost and other materials. The move will reduce garden waste and promote recycling.

The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has spared no effort in promoting waste conservation and reduction throughout the community. The Hong Kong government will allocate an additional HK $300 million to HK $400 million this year to promote waste reduction to tackle climate change, Secretary for the Environment Wong Kam-sing said. In addition, the Environment Bureau will support waste reduction efforts and promote policy implementation in three areas: education, community support and outreach.

On education, Mr Wong said he hoped the public would reduce waste at source, such as encouraging schools to recycle kitchen waste to avoid food waste. On community support, the Government will set up four more pilot plastic recycling machines across the territory to encourage the public to recycle plastic bottles; Apart from constructing a food waste treatment plant at Siu Ho Wan on Lantau Island, the SAR Government will seek the support of Northern District Council Members to construct one more food waste treatment plant in the North District to treat food waste from industrial and commercial industries and to convert waste into energy in Hong Kong. On outreach, the Hong Kong Environment Bureau will send staff to promote waste levy in residential areas such as public housing and tenement buildings.

Wong said that he hopes to convey the concept of conserving waste and making the best use of waste to the public, so that the "Green New Year" will penetrate into every corner of Hong Kong society.

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