According to DSPA data, in 2019 – when the plastic bag fee was introduced – plastic products accounted for 23.5 percent of the 550,249 tonnes of municipal solid waste collected that year. In other words, the second most collected, behind organic matter and ahead of paper and cardboard. In the same year, a total of 304,467 kilos of recyclable plastic was collected, an increase of 21.7 per cent compared to the previous year. However, the DSPA does not reveal the actual amount of plastic materials that end up being recycled.
This analysis only includes plastics collected at DSPA collection points, such as those in the Green Points Programme, Alegria Environmental Centres or clean recycling points set up on the street as part of the Green Points Programme. Between 2019 and 2022, there will be a U-shaped trend in the amount of municipal solid waste collected in Macau, with DSPA blaming the pandemic for not collecting as much waste in the last three years.
At the same time, the amount of municipal solid waste per capita also fell, but remained higher than that of neighbouring cities. In 2022, Macau recorded around 1.77 kilos of municipal solid waste disposed of per capita per day, a figure higher than metropolises such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai. In the same period, it is possible to see the same evolution in the percentage that plastic represented in total waste, and in the amount of waste per capita.
Last year, plastic materials accounted for 21.8 per cent of the total municipal solid waste collected, 1.7 per cent less than in 2019. A total of 337,247 kilos of recyclable plastic were collected by DSPA last year, 10.7 per cent more than in 2019. However, 20 per cent less discarded municipal solid waste was collected).
In its latest report, the DSPA proposes expanding and improving the selective collection of recyclable waste, continuing to expand the community network for collecting recyclable waste and taking measures to limit plastic.
Combating plastic
Several measures have been launched by the Macau authorities in recent years to limit the use and import of non-biodegradable single-use materials. In 2019, the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) announced for the first time that a set amount of one pataca would be charged for each plastic bag supplied in retail sales.
In the environmental protection plan for 2021-2025 released shortly afterwards, the Macau authorities indicated that they aimed to “promote and strengthen” the practice of reducing plastic use, along with “regulatory measures for disposable and non-biodegradable plastic tableware”. In 2021, the Macau government decided to ban the import and transit of disposable styrofoam tableware, including food boxes, bowls, cups and plates. This ban was expanded in 2022 to include disposable non-degradable plastic beverage straws and stirrers.
This week it was revealed that the ban would be extended from 1 January 2024 to disposable plastic plates and cups, along with the import of styrofoam food trays commonly used by supermarkets.
