How much food waste does Hong Kong produce each day?

Of the 3,001 tonnes thrown away each day in 2024, 1,996 tonnes came from households and 1,004 tonnes from restaurants, markets and other businesses. On average, each person threw away about 0.27 kg of food waste at home every day.

Compared with 2023, business food waste fell from 1,170 to 1,004 tonnes a day, a drop of about 15%. Household food waste barely moved, from 2,021 to 1,996 tonnes. Overall, food waste fell by 6%.

Hong Kong recycled 104,800 tonnes of food waste in 2024, a third more than in 2023. In 2025 an average of about 350 tonnes was recycled each day; household food waste recycling grew from about 2 tonnes a day in 2022 to more than 120 tonnes a day in 2025. By February 2026 there were 453 smart food waste recycling bins across Hong Kong.

Still, compared with the roughly 3,000 tonnes sent to landfill each day, only a small part is recycled.

The numbers are huge, but every portion of food waste comes from one family’s meal. In our school “collection challenge”, students and their families collect food waste at home and record the amount each week. Once you know what you throw away, and how much, you know where to cut back.

Next: how should household food waste be sorted?Vocabulary Cards programme