Hong Kong undoubtedly is one of the cleanest cities in the world.

Hong Kong also has one of the highest per capita domestic household waste generation rates in the world, at 1.11 kg a day in 2003. Given the piles of garbage we generate, the city's municipal bosses and workers deserve more than just kudos for keeping our environs spic and span. The same, however, cannot be said about we the people.

Hong Kongers being among the world's most, if not the most, impulsive shoppers certainly doesn't help matters. But even for our daily needs, we tend to carry home a much higher proportion of packaging material than is actually needed.

Hong Kong is a small territory, just 1,098 square kilometres, and there is only so much it can take. Its waste loads are growing at a much faster rate than its population. The city's municipal solid waste loads have increased by about 3 per cent a year over the past decade, while its population has grown by just 0.9 per cent.

The three existing landfills are under tremendous pressure because of our consumerist lifestyle, and if we continue to generate waste at the present rate, they will be full in six to 10 years.

Unfortunately, that's not all. Our present rate of waste generation will force us to create another 400 hectares of landfill space to meet our garbage disposal needs up to 2030.

But Hong Kong hardly has any more suitable sites for new landfills. So what's the solution?

Many among us would be content to pass the buck to leading food and drink companies: It's their duty and responsibility to reduce the amount of packaging that people throw away or recycle.

It's true that most of the contents of an ordinary household bin bag include packaging and products from some of the biggest names in the world of food and drink. We may be trying to recycle more of these products, but the amount of overall waste is still growing.

The food and drink industry should indeed look at the amount of packaging and waste they create. They are, we all know, the key to how much rubbish we produce.

But will that solve the problem? Don't we need to do anything? We need food everyday, and I agree that we will continue consuming more convenience foods, simply because it is more convenient. And convenience food carries with it the necessary baggage of packaging.

Manufacturers will go only so far to reduce their packaging material. For, despite all their market research and special studies, they would be reluctant to cut the proportion of packaging at one go. Why? Because they wouldn't want to take the risk of losing buyers for reduced, or less fancy, packaging.

I hold no brief for the food and drink industry, but we cannot keep fighting shy of our individual responsibilities by deflecting the issue.

It's become fashionable nowadays to talk about the environment and the dangers posed by pollution. We say we are animal lovers, but we love our leather shoes. We are vegetarians who cannot resist meat. We are so worried about the depleting ozone layer that we fly across the world to discuss how to stop it.

The ice caps are melting, the rain forests are vanishing, the oceans are being vacuum-cleaned. And our reaction is to feign helplessness. The fact is that, when it comes to the environment, we are at best hypocrites and, at worst, poseurs.

But if we don't do our bit even now, it could soon be too late. Generate less domestic waste and, like charity, let environmental protection also begin at home.

Email: zouhr@chinadaily.com.hk

(China Daily 08/11/2006 page4)