Hong Kong's Environmental Protection Department (EPD) announced on September 24 that waste paper recovered in the city will be pulped locally at full scale from October 1, 2026, without reliance on exports. The change follows the start of operation of the modernised paper pulping facility at EcoPark, Tuen Mun, on July 27, 2026, and its gradual ramp-up.

Recyclable waste paper will expand from the traditional "three types of paper" — cardboard, newspapers and office paper — to include mixed paper such as paper bags, packaging boxes and wrapping paper. The EPD said the facility's capacity is sufficient to handle all waste paper generated in Hong Kong, with recovery volumes able to rise gradually from more than 500 000 tonnes per year to 720 000 tonnes annually. The facility set a single-day intake record of 1 608 tonnes this month, 4 per cent above last year's average daily intake, the department said.

Under the contract, the operator must buy waste paper at not less than the Designated Purchasing Price, which rose from HK$1,200 per tonne in July 2026 to HK$1,295.51 per tonne. A Designated Minimum Price of HK$0.65 per kilogram applies to payments to frontline collectors. The EPD said the existing contract supporting waste paper exports will end.