Case studies
03
Hong Kong Neighborhood recycling center
-Administration
- Training and consultation

Hong Kong
Questions to ponder
Problems Results
Hongkong’s drowning in
waste and
its 3 landfills are almost
full .
What if: The government
created waste recovery facilities
in every neighborhood instead
of collection facilities only
What if: a significant portion
of waste produced in the
neighborhood never left the
neighborhood
Cutting down on waste
transportation finances.
What if: Recycling became a fun
group activity instead of a
mundane individual task
The waste producers would
also be the recycles:
resulting in a balanced self
sustainable city.
We’ll get closer to living a
zero waste life.

Hong Kong Neighborhood Recycling Center
A prototype to minimize the export of waste to our landfills
Basement
Level 1 (ground)
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Locate facility close to metro
stations and other public
transport for ease of access
Outdoor gathering and eating
spaces to encourage visitation
Green building envelope
Minimize building’s width to allow
implementation in different sites
Provide PV
collectors,microturbines to
maximize on site power
generation and harvest
rainwater for irrigation
Provide rooftop gardens to
develop an urban farming
culture

Level 0 (basement)
On Site
composting
center
Food waste transported from
level 1 via conveyor belts and
fed into composting machines
Wastewater
treatment
facility
Onsite wastewater treatment
-using RO system
-water storage tanks
Primary and secondary
systems
Lifts pits
Mechanical plant
Food waste disinfection
area

Level 1 (Ground)
Recycling
Center
Water refill station
Green product retail
Public building access
Green product retail
Hazardous material
temporary storage
Incoming
material sorting
Food Recovery
Area

Level 2
Food waste
recovery
center
Cooking
School
Neighborhood
market
Public
covered
terrace
Public open
air sitting out
area

Level 3
Flea Market
Electronic and
furniture workshops
Public access to this level
provided

Level 4
Upcycling center
Artists Studios
Retail Gallery
Public access to this level
provided by lifts and escalators
Select recycled materials
transported to this level via
freight lifts

Level 5
Community Hall
Storage access
Exhibit entry for large objects
Public access to this level
provided by lifts and escalators

Level 6 (Roof )
Community
Organic Gardens
Gardens Center
Microturbines along
perimeter for rooftop parapet
Community
Organic Gardens
Public access to this
level provided by lifts
and escalators
PV solar panels at roof
area
Recycled houseplants
and on-site compost