A government fund in Hong Kong rolled out a scheme on Monday to help housing estates reduce food waste and separate waste food at source.

According to the Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF), the funding scheme encourages housing estates to partner with non- government organizations to hold education and promotion programs to raise residents' awareness of food waste reduction and engage them in food waste recycling.

The scheme also subsidizes the installation and operation of on- site food waste treatment facilities at participating housing estates.

"The disposal of a large quantity of food waste at landfills is not sustainable. We hope that the funding scheme launched by the ECF for the reduction, collection and on-site treatment of food waste in housing estates can help raise public awareness, promote behavioral change, and reduce the disposal of food waste," a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said.

The funding scheme is part of the government's overall strategy to tackle food waste, which accounts for about one third (i.e. 3, 000 tons) of the 9,000 tons of municipal solid waste disposed of in Hong Kong's landfills every day.

"Data collected and experience learned from participating estates can help us identify the factors for consideration in the wider promotion of food waste collection and recycling in Hong Kong. We hope the scheme will include a variety of housing in terms of their types, age and geographical areas so as to consolidate experiences for sharing in the future," the spokesman said.

According to the spokesman, the EPD will provide technical advice to applicants during planning and implementation and assist them in identifying suitable places for locating their on-site food waste treatment facilities.