Jockey Club promotes a£á?Clean Recyclinga£á? with launch of third phase of glass recycling project

02/23/2016

Six years ago, to help relieve the burden on local landfills, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust funded the launch of the Hong Chi Jockey Club Glass Bottle Recycling Project in collaboration with the Hong Chi Association and the Government’s Environmental Protection Department. The initiative has proved very successful, steadily expanding to meet increasing demand in the community.  To date, about 3,900 tonnes of glass bottles have been collected and recycled into eco-bricks.

Today (23 February), the Club’s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung joined Secretary for the Environment Wong Kam-sing and Hong Chi Association Chairman Philip Poon to launch the third phase of the Hong Chi Jockey Club Glass Bottle Recycling Project, funded by a further Charities Trust donation of close to HK$8 million. During this new phase, it is expected that a further 2,200 tonnes of glass will be collected, creating over 160 vocational opportunities for trainees with intellectual disabilities.

Mr Cheung noted that the Hong Chi Jockey Club Glass Bottle Recycling Project is providing valuable vocational opportunities and promoting social inclusion.

“The Club has been supporting the environmental projects carried out by the Hong Chi Association since 2010, and among all of them the Hong Chi Jockey Club Glass Bottle Recycling Project has proved the most successful, with about 3,900 tonnes of glass bottles having been collected in six years,” he said. “This is an encouraging result and also good proof of the Club’s important role in helping to solve different kinds of metropolitan social issues through pilot projects.”

“The Club is giving its support for the third phase of the glass bottle recycling project, which seeks to complement the environmental policy of the Government. Through the ‘Clean Recycling’ concept it aims to enhance the quality and value of the glass bottles recycled.”

Hui Yuk Po, who joined the Hong Chi Jockey Club Glass Bottle Recycling Project during its first phase in 2010, has since been promoted as a team leader, taking a group of new trainees every morning to collect waste glass at different locations and delivering the glass to a warehouse for sorting and rinsing.

“People used to dump glass bottles everywhere,” he recalls. “More people have realised that glass bottles can be recycled. My job is keeping me busy. I love it and am eager to learn more.”  Hui has also become a Green Ambassador, assisting with instruction at school seminars and street promotions. “I used to be very shy, now I speak with confidence,” he says proudly.  “My mother and sister praise me for the change! There are eco-bricks almost everywhere. They sparkle under the sunlight.”

The glass bottle recycling scheme, part of the Trust-initiated Environment Project, has so far seen some 290 collection points set up in residential estates, shopping malls and hospitals around the city, providing over 250  people with training and job opportunities. 

During the third phase, more resources are being earmarked for community education to strengthen the “Clean Recycling” message.  The trainees will serve as Clean Recycling Ambassadors, giving organisations hands-on experience of glass waste separation, while outreach workshops will help the public learn more about glass ‘upcycling’ and green lifestyles.

The Jockey Club has long been a strong proponent of environmental protection in its own operations. Over the past three years, the Club has collected over 280 tonnes of used glass bottles from its racecourse and clubhouse outlets for recycling into eco-bricks - enough to pave 30 standard basketball courts. 

In addition to supporting the Hong Chi Jockey Club Glass Bottle Recycling Project, the Club’s Environment Project, established in 2008, has also supported the CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia.

Further details of the Hong Chi Jockey Club Glass Bottle Recycling Project are available at www.hongchi.org.hk/glassrecycling.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class horse racing operator and Hong Kong’s largest community benefactor, as well as one of Asia’s most prestigious membership clubs. Operating as a not-for-profit organisation, the Club allocates its surplus funds for charitable and community projects. In 2014/15, its donations reached a record HK$3.87 billion, and in the last decade alone it supported over 1,300 projects. The Club is also Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer, contributing a record HK$20.05 billion in 2014/15. With about 70% of its revenue given back to society every year through donations and tax contributions, The Hong Kong Jockey Club delivers a significantly higher return to the community than any other racing and/or sports betting organisation in the world. As a socially responsible organisation, the Club helps Government combat illegal betting and advocates responsible gambling. The Club is also one of Hong Kong’s largest employers with over 24,000 full-time and part-time staff. Committed to global excellence and giving back to society, the Club is always “riding high together for a better future” with the people of Hong Kong.