Alba breaks ground on Hong Kong’s first e-scrap recycling plant

BEIJING (Scrap Monster): ALBA Integrated Waste Solutions Hong Kong has commenced works on Hong Kong’s first e-scrap recycling facility. The ground breaking ceremony was held at the EcoPark in Tuen Mun, where the proposed plant is expected to become operational by mid-2017.

According to reports, Alba had earlier signed €318m contract with the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department. This is assumed to be the largest order signed by the company till date. The Chinese government has contributed €65m towards construction expenses and operational costs. The contract is not only limited to construction of the plant. In addition, Alba will be responsible for e-waste collection and recycling services for a period of ten years.

Initially, the plant will have a capacity to handle 30,000 tonnes of e-waste per year. This could be later expanded up to 56,000 tonnes per annum, if required. The facility will be an important milestone in the development of Producers Responsibility Scheme (PRS) for WEE. Rough estimates suggest that nearly 70,000 tonnes of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) are generated in Hong Kong every year.

The facility will employ ALBA’s proprietary state-of-the art techniques to process devices including televisions, computers, washing machines and air-conditioners in order to recover valuable secondary raw materials. The facility will be capable to manage the hazardous elements contained in these devices without causing harm to environment. The new plant is expected to create as many as nearly 300 jobs.

ALBA Group’s honk Kong subsidiary owns 73% shares of the joint venture (JV) project. Another 25% shares are held by Integrated Waste Solutions (IWS)-a Hong Kong-based recyclable collector. The remaining 2% of the JV is owned by Germany-based recycling equipment manufacturer-Erdwich.