Argumentative Essay - Food Waste Problem in Hong Kong

                   

Argumentative Essay   Wong Oi Man (Student ID: 53568137) 

                                                                                                         

(1080 words)

Food Waste Problem in Hong Kong

While millions of people in the world teeter on the brink of starvation, people in Hong Kong nonchalantly throw away huge quantities of edible food every day.  Such action, apart from causing economic waste, has set the alarm ringing on local environmental concerns.  This paper gives an insight into the available tactics and argues for the best possible solution to tackle the issue.

            Statistically, our food waste accounts for 40% of the municipal solid waste, which means over 3,000 tonnes of wasted food is sent to landfill each day (EDP, 2012).  According to Karl (2013), two thirds of the food waste comes from households, and a third from the city’s restaurants, supermarkets, food stores, hotels and schools, etc.  As a result, local landfills are under tremendous pressure for they will all reach the maximum capacity by 2018 (LegCo, 2012).  Apparently, seeking an effective solution is imminent.

            First and foremost, let us look at the resort of ‘recycling’, which has the potential.  Take the Food Recovery Challenge Program in the US as a good example.  The unsold food can be donated to food banks for charity.  To go a step further, Taipei implements a mandatory recycling system for compliance by the food and catering industry.  These approaches are worth considering by Hong Kong, as its amount of commercial food waste has increased more than double within 10 years (Feeding Hong Kong, 2012).  Currently, on individual and voluntary basis, Hong Kong has limited recycling practices and the effect is insignificant.  Green Power (2013) reported that there are 25 non-profit organizations in Hong Kong participating in food donation.  Nevertheless, only 5 tonnes of food waste can be collected daily, which is equal to 0.14% of total food waste generated.  So, hardly can this satisfy the aim of reducing overall food waste.

Some people may consider that ‘biotechnology’ plays an important part in recycling.  ‘‘Biotechnology is another alternative,’’ said Carol Lin in BBC news, an assistant professor at City University of Hong Kong.  She is developing a process that turns food waste to bio-plastic and bio-based fuel.  When biotechnology is fully established, it can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels by creating fuel from renewable sources of energy (Fellet, 2012).  However, Fellet (2012) emphasized, ‘‘It can’t produce cost-competitive biofuels right now.’’  Currently, the government is developing organic waste treatment facilities to transform organic waste to useful compost products and biogas for energy recovery.  As informed by EPD (2013), the fully developed facilities in 2017 will have a daily treatment capacity of 500 tonnes organic waste, which is just 1/6 of the total food waste.  As such, investment on biotechnology is paying it forward to help alleviate the problem only.

Another tactic we heard of is the imposition of municipal solid waste ‘charging’, which would induce food waste reduction.  According to Chan (2013), for every 1.12 kg of food a three-person household consumes a day, yet another 1 kg of food will end up being dumped to landfill.  This explains why food waste contributes substantially to solid waste.  Since solid waste charging deters people from dumping food lavishly without first considering recycling, some countries have proved its effectiveness, like the waste generated decreased approximately 60% in Taipei and 40% in Seoul accordingly (Green Power, 2012).  Thus, solid waste charging is an effective measure.

In Hong Kong, solid waste charging is under public consultation by government as a priority issue.  As advised by the Council for Sustainable Development, municipal solid waste charging is a complicated matter as it affects a wide group of stakeholders, and thus community consensus is required.  Among the issues, actions need to be done to fight against illegal dumping.  If a household-based charging mechanism is adopted, high management cost would be incurred to petrol and charge those household families or commercial entities that dump their solid waste to public litter bins. Since a fee charging system will bring inconvenience and pose some financial burden to the people, the government needs to acquire public consensus.

For the best solution, it is argued that enforcing a ‘mandatory’ food waste recycling system for the domestic and commercial sectors of Hong Kong glimmers better hopes.  We all know that Hong Kong is a densely-populated city, with 2.3 million households sharing 1,100 square kilometres of land (Council for Sustainable Development, 2013).  On the one hand, high population density facilitates waste food collection and transportation.  On the other hand, it could be hard to find the space to accommodate collection points and stations as well as to ensure sanitation.  However, even with the constraints, Hong Kong is actually not very different from Korea or Taiwan, and so a comprehensive and well-established recycling system should be fully considered and enforced by government.

Also for the best solution, implementing municipal solid waste charging is unavoidable in Hong Kong.  It is suggested that an incentive scheme of an agreeable form could be run in parallel to enhance compliance, such as, the government can provide cash subsidies or tax rebates to help those grassroots families affected.  To curb illegal dumping and to lessen the burden of supervision, mutual surveillance can be employed in the neighbourhood.  As in Taipei and Seoul, neighbours who report are rewarded in the case of successful prosecution (Council for Sustainable Development, 2013).  Apart from this, Taipei timely closes some refuse collection points and public litter bins to prevent illegal dumping (Karl, 2013).  These are measures we can consider. 

In the meantime, education for public awareness to reduce food waste is crucially important.  Education can help instil a message of food waste reduction in people’s mind and help develop self-discipline of people in the long term.  The recent Food Wise Hong Kong Campaign is a good start of it.  Fan (2012) referred that Wong Kam-Sing, secretary for the Environment, saw this kind of campaign as engaging the individuals to reduce food waste and promote good practice on food waste reduction.  Noticeably, the South Korean government sets every Wednesday as ‘The Day of No Food Waste’ (Green Power, 2013), reflecting its efforts done on educating people to treasure food.  Therefore, whole-population education should be enhanced accordingly.

Believe it or not, more than 300,000 children in Hong Kong cannot always get three meals a day (Lee, 2013).  Apparently, food is a precious resource and we should not waste any of it.  Through the combination of mandatory food waste recycling, municipal solid waste charging and whole-population education, it is believed that the food waste problem in Hong Kong can best be solved.

References:

Chan M. (2013, October 16). In the face of global hunger, Hong Kong must stop wasting food. South China Morning Post. Retrieved from http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1332450/face-global-hunger-hong-kong-must-stop-wasting-food

Council for Sustainable Development. (2013). Strengthening Waste Reduction: Is Waste Charging an Option? Retrieved from http://www.susdev.gov.hk/html/en/council/Paper01-12Annexe.pdf

Council for Sustainable Development. (2013). Uniqueness and Characteristics of Hong Kong Setting. Retrieved from http://www.susdev.org.hk/english/irdoc/irdoc_3.php#3.1

Environmental Protection Department. (2012). Monitoring of Solid Waste in Hong Kong. Retrieved from https://www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en/materials/info/msw2011.pdf

Environmental Protection Department. (2013). Food Waste Challenge. Retrieved from http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/waste/prob_solutions/food_waste_challenge.html

Environmental Protection Department. (2013). Organic Waste Treatment Facilities. Retrieved from http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/waste/prob_solutions/WFdev_OWTF.html

Environmental Protection Department. (2011). Development of Organic Waste Treatment Facilities, Phase 2. Retrieved from http://www.epd.gov.hk/eia/register/profile/latest/esb226/esb226.pdf

Fan F. (2012, December 04). Govt gets involved to cut food waste. China Daily. Retrieved from http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/hkedition/2012-12/04/content_15982334.htm

Feeding Hong Kong. (2012). Food Waste Stats. Retrieved from http://feedinghk.org/food-waste-stats/

Fellet M. (2012, August 29). Starbucks' Food Waste Fuels Experimental Biorefinery. QUEST The Science of Sustainability. Retrieved from http://science.kqed.org/quest/2012/08/29/starbucks-food-waste-fuels-experimental-biorefinery/

Green Power. (2012, February). Don't delay on waste charging! – Learning from the successful case of Taipei. Retrieved from http://www.greenpower.org.hk/html/eng/2012_2.shtml

Hunt K. (2013, January 02). Banquet-loving Hong Kong grapples with mountain of food waste. BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20807819

Irvine D. (2013, January 21). Hong Kong’s mounting food waste problem. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/21/world/asia/hong-kong-food-waste/index.html?hpt=hp_bn8

Karl W. (2013, April 19). Mounting heaps of garbage. China Daily. Retrieved from http://www.chinadailyasia.com/business/2013-04/19/content_15073047.html

Lee D. (2013. September 2). Beating waste and putting food on plates for needy. South China Morning Post. Retrieved from http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1301375/beating-waste-and-putting-food-plates-needy

Legislative Council of Hong Kong. (2012). The Hong Kong Waste Problem. Retrieved from http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr12-13/chinese/panels/ea/duty_v/eavp1304-4-ec.pdf

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2012). Food Recovery Challenge. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/smm/foodrecovery/

Analytical Essay - What should I major in?

GE 1401 T26 – Analytical Essay   
Wong Oi Man (Student ID: 53568137) 12/10/2013

                                                                                      (650 words)                               What should I major in?          

         ‘What should I major in’ is definitely an overwhelming question that I have long thought about.  Being a student in College of Business, I need to major in either accounting, finance, economics, marketing or management.  Hardly can I be utterly resolute as each major has its own good.  Can I find the right tool that will shape me into a Goddess Venus when I graduate?

Presumably, choosing accounting, finance or economics has its virtues – graduates have the opportunity to become a professional, like an accountant or economist.  Essentially, these majors entail extensive use of advanced Mathematics in the technical theories. For example, students need to study quantitative methods and financial modelling in finance, and derivatives analysis in economics.  Because I am not particularly strong on Mathematics, it seems unlikely that I can be a top gun on those subjects, although I can manage to pass the exams.  Overall, going for a major in accounting, finance or economics doesn’t match my greatest learning potential, which is on grasping practical knowledge and human skills.  It proves that, in class activities, I can promote my ideas and motivate other people effectively – a quality material for marketing indeed.

Apart from that, at the workplace, professional staff is so often tied down with excessive workload and their work is monotonous.  Even worse, jobs on accounting are said to be very tedious, especially during the reporting period.  In review, my learning experiences indicate that I excel in interpersonal skills and communication.  It goes without saying that I am fond of handling tasks and working with different people, which is my strongest aptitude.  Being basically a sociable and outgoing person, I guess I would be easily fed up with the formal duties, such as compiling a long spreadsheet, if being engaged in professional practice.  As pursuing a professional career is not my good interest and I lack the corresponding learning potential, I am not prepared to major in accounting, finance or economics.

To juggle interest and a career, should I go for marketing or management?  Significantly, marketing generates lateral thinking and creativity to deliver value to both customers and firms.  At broader sense, this function increases GDP, creates jobs and improves our quality of life – this grand mission, plus its interesting job duties, make marketing a great job!  In contrast, management is defined as the art of getting things done through the efforts of ‘other people’ – apparently, this rationale goes against my interest, which marketing can satisfy, in handling tasks and in close contact with people directly. Furthermore, management emphasizes leadership, entrepreneurship and strategy, making it more suitable for those who are assertive and resolute, which is, nevertheless, not my strongest aptitude.  In comparison, I therefore prefer marketing to management to be my major.

How far can I go, then, in marketing?  Each year, a great number of our graduates enter the field of marketing, reflecting its abundant job supply.  Indeed, apart from good employability, a career devoted in marketing probably offers excellent prospects in the long run.  One should have noticed that a growing number of CEOs today are people with strong marketing backgrounds.  Legendary CEOs like Mary Ash and Ross Perot are role models.  CEOs like Jeffrey Immelt at General Electric and Mark Hurd at Hewlett-Packard are showing how a marketing career can lead to the pinnacle of the organization.  Perhaps, being a CEO is too challenging for I am not that ambitious!  Thus, I desire to major in marketing, to prepare me for becoming a high-calibre manager in a field of my interest, such as aviation or green business, as my goal. 
To sum up, I am not prepared to major either in accounting, finance or economics, since the study content and job nature do not fit me very well.  I will major in marketing, rather than in management, because marketing allows me to best juggle my interest, learning potential, and a good career.

Descriptive Writing (My Best Buddy – Kareen)

GE 1401 T26 – Descriptive Writing 
Wong Oi Man (Student ID: 53568137) 19/9/2013

(546 words)

My Best Buddy – Kareen

With exquisite taste in vivid clothes and ornaments, Kareen is a mixed-blood of Chinese and Indonesian.  She likes tranquillity and loves nature, like me.  I first met her on my trip to Perth last summer.

She gently pulled down the blind of the oval window, sat back and closed her eyes.  Outside, the flood of crimson blaze silhouetted against the horizon was stunning, though.  On board the 747 and flying across the ocean, Kareen and I shared the same goal – to attend an advanced English course in Perth.  Her amiable manners and sincerity throughout allowed me to enjoy the flight.

Whispering wind whooshed wildly when we strode out of the airport.  Kareen walked briskly, like a businesswoman.  She pushed her shoulder-length, side-parting straight hair behind her ears to give a smart look.  Her slim body looked even slimmer because of her long legs.  Along with a rosy complexion, she had got a few freckles on her cheeks like many teenage girls.  Naturally, her bewitching smile was as bright as sunshine.  One should have noticed a pointy chin and a dimple on each side of her oval-face when she smiled.  Indeed, trailing after her broad-shouldered, well-proportioned and near perfect torso, I couldn’t help admiring – Gorgeous!  She must be the apple of the poet’s eye! 

We hit it off right from the start in Perth, as we were roommates in the period of our homestay.  One morning, an appealing odour filled the bedroom, went through my nose, body and every nerve.  The aroma of tortilla led me to the kitchen.  To my surprise, Kareen was mastering a frying pan in her hand as skilfully as a top-notch chef.  What a workaholic and an early riser she was!  She had prepared a full set of amazing breakfast for me before I woke up!  Wasn’t she superior to those who worked in a Michelin 5-star restaurant?  Her culinary skills were superb.  My heart melted in that cool morning and Kareen was like an angel who cared about me.

Despite the feminine look, Kareen possessed the heart of lion.  One day downtown, when we were invited by the street performers to join their show, Kareen responded with a resounding ‘yes’ in no hesitation.  Her arms became weeping willows swaying in the wind when she danced ballet in the street to play Margot Fonteyn.  She was as happy as a lark when the audience clapped hands to applaud her show.  Incongruously, I could only stand still with my mouth dropped open in astonishment.  She leaped toward me with raised eyebrows and sheer laughter, trying to help me overcome my fear.  Only then could I screw up my courage to join in.  “All that glitters is not gold” never applied to this exuberant girl, of course.  Gifted with a good many talents, she would never show pride in her abilities and always strived to work hard.  Having a high opinion of Kareen, I appreciated her company very much!

Certainly a great buddy, Kareen is willing to share and full of enthusiasm.  As well, she never betrays but only accepts on every occasion – I have a tremendous lot to learn from her!  Time flies like an arrow.  I miss Kareen now because she has gone to Canada for studying.  I treasure her friendship forever!

Something about ME......

I am Wong Oi Man, Winnie. Congratulations to all CityU's students! University life is really full of excitement and challenges. Starting a new stage of life, participating in different activities (eg Orientation Camp, voluntary services, workshops held by Student Development Services), having a flexible timetable, meeting a cluster of new people... Don't you feel life is wonderful and gorgeous?

I studied Business, Accounting and Financial Studies as well as Economics in my high school. Now, I am a Year 1 student from College of Business! I haven't decided what major I will take in Year 2, but probably something related to management or marketing. Let's make best use of our Year 1 time and dig out what field we are really interested in.

I have a younger brother and he is studying in Secondary 1. I love playing piano, archery, tennis as well as listening to classical music. In summer vacation, my family and I usually go to travel. I have been to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Seattle, Vancouver, Mexcio, Perth, Adelaide, Korea and so forth. Experiencing different cultures, communicating with the local people, visiting to different tourist spots really broaden my horizon. 

I feel very lucky to be part of CityU and everything sounds good to me! Hope all of us can have a memorable and fruitful experience in our university life! Cheers!

A Warm Welcome to all of you!

Hi guys, I am Winnie! Welcome to my blog and nice to meet you all! Feel free to comment on my coming posts as your feedback is valuable to me. Hope you enjoy reading it!

Let's strive for success together and treasure the opportunity of learning English here!