【明報專訊】In recent years, mainland China has tightened the import of recyclable materials. This, together with the decline in international paper prices, has affected the local recycling price of waste paper. Recycling volumes continue to decline even though the government is footing the bill with taxpayers' money. To reduce dependence on the export market, the government approved the building of a paper recycling plant at EcoPark in 2018, but the scheme ended prematurely. In the government's 2020 Policy Address, it was further proposed that modern pulping facilities be built at EcoPark. The Environmental Protection Department（EPD）plans to have a pulp mill built on an area of about 1.4 hectares at EcoPark. The bidding process has been completed, and it is expected that the mill will begin operation in 2025, processing no less than 300,000 tonnes of local waste paper each year.