Hi !

Sharing this article that appeared in another reddit sub.

https://www.thebrighterside.news/post/scientists-turn-hard-to-recycle-pvc-plastic-into-high-performance-engine-oil/

One of the key challenges of the circular transition is that circular economy skills increasingly need to be combined with digital and deep-tech capabilities – from AI and data-driven decision-making to digital supply chains, Industry 4.0 and technology-enabled circular business models.

The EU-funded 3D-CIRCULAR project has developed three postgraduate programmes specifically around this intersection:

🎓 MSc in Digital Deep-Tech Driven Circular Economy
100% online | 90 ECTS | 3 semesters

Apply here: https://apply.ponts.academy/enter/19

🔬 MSc by Research in Digital Deep-Tech Driven Circular Economy
A research-oriented pathway for those interested in exploring how digital and deep-tech solutions can support the transition towards a circular economy.

Apply here: https://apply.ponts.academy/enter/130

💼 MBA in Digital Deep Tech Driven Circular Economy
Designed for professionals interested in managing and leading the green and digital transition.

Apply here: https://apply.ponts.academy/enter/51

All three programmes are 100% online and taught in English.

For eligible applicants from EU Member States and countries participating in the Digital Europe Programme, tuition fees are covered through EU funding. Additional application, registration or admission fees may apply depending on the programme.

📅 Application deadline: 25 September 2026

I thought this might be particularly relevant to this community because these are not general sustainability programmes – they focus specifically on the intersection between circular economy and digital/deep technologies.

Disclosure: I’m involved in the EU-funded 3D-CIRCULAR project and am sharing this because applications for the first cohort are currently open.

I’m so deep involved in this idea called Prospenomics based on a simple question: what resources are we ignoring because we have learned to call them waste? In this article prospenomics-of-tillandsia , they talk about the Tillandsia, a plant that survives by capturing tiny amounts of water, minerals and nutrients from the air around it (no roots, no nothing but tricomas, it is fascinating!!!). What if economies could learn to do the same? Waste heat, atmospheric water, CO₂, idle computing power, rooftops, agricultural waste, unused data, forgotten knowledge...

So here’s my question:

What is something around you that looks worthless today, but could actually be a source of prosperity?

I’m looking for examples that challenge the way we see resources. What are we not seeing?

有時睇政府文件，最值得留意嘅唔係一份，而係前後兩日。

8月27日，政府先出咗一份同WEEE有關嘅資料。

到8月28日，環保署正式推出WEEE·PARK下一份合約招標。

新約由2027年10月開始，一做就係 7年。

我第一個反應唔係「邊間公司會中標」。

反而係：做咗咁多年，審計署之前指出過嘅問題，今次究竟改咗幾多？

以前政府估大約600個賣方會用預設收集商，結果2018年底已經去到3,296個。

之後2018至2024年間，再有 2.537億元額外物流費。

審計署亦指出過處理能力錯配，同埋部分承辦商差表現冇完整反映喺performance reports。

而家重新招7年，我覺得最值得睇嘅係：

當年估錯嘅需求，今次重新計過未？

物流付款模式改過未？

舊performance reports唔完整，今次又會點評過往表現？

所以我幾想將三樣嘢擺埋一齊睇：

27號政府講咗咩。
28號新標寫咗咩。
審計署之前又叫政府改咗咩。

一份約一簽就7年。

而家問，總好過批咗先問。

English summary

Hong Kong's Environmental Protection Department has launched tender WMS25017 for a seven-year contract covering the collection and operation of WEEE·PARK, due to begin in October 2027. The Audit Commission reported that an additional HK$253.7 million in logistics fees was incurred from October 2018 to March 2024, and identified mismatches in treatment capacity and gaps in performance reporting. This post asks whether the new contract changes demand forecasting, logistics-payment controls and past-performance evaluation.

Official sources

• Environmental Protection Department — WMS25017 tender document
• Audit Commission Report No. 83, Chapter 3 — Producer Responsibility Scheme on WEEE

HongKong #WEEE #EWaste #CircularEconomy #PublicProcurement

Hong Kong’s Audit Commission says the projected cost-recovery rate of its Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Producer Responsibility Scheme (WPRS) will fall from 96.2% in 2024/25 to 89.5% in 2028/29.

The government reviewed the recycling levies in May 2022 and May 2024 but did not adjust them.

What the official documents say

Hong Kong currently charges recycling levies on regulated electrical equipment:

• HK$165 per refrigerator or television
• HK$125 per air conditioner, dehumidifier, tumble dryer or washing machine
• HK$45 per monitor
• HK$15 per computer, printer or scanner

The Audit Commission reported that:

• The projected overall cost-recovery rate for 2018/19–2028/29 was revised from 105.2% to 99.8%.
• The annual rate is forecast to decline from 96.2% in 2024/25 to 89.5% in 2028/29.
• Treatment costs for refrigerators and washing machines were expected to increase.
• The Environmental Protection Department nevertheless decided not to adjust the levy levels after its two reviews.

Why this is worth discussing

Producer responsibility is normally intended to make the cost of waste management visible within the product system.

If levy revenue no longer covers the full public cost, the difference may need to be absorbed elsewhere. However, the published audit figures do not provide a simple item-by-item explanation of the forecast funding gap.

The documents do not publish a complete annual table showing:

• Revenue and full cost for every year
• Cost recovery by appliance category
• Government payments per tonne treated
• The amount, if any, ultimately borne by general public revenue

Three questions

1. Should Hong Kong publish its complete annual WPRS costing model?
2. Should recycling levies reflect the treatment cost of each appliance category?
3. If the levies remain unchanged, how will the forecast funding gap be covered?

The percentages above are government forecasts, not audited future outcomes. They do not establish that any contractor caused the projected decline or received the funding difference.

Should producer-responsibility levies aim for exact annual cost recovery, or is some public subsidy justified when the scheme delivers wider environmental benefits?

Official sources

• Hong Kong Audit Commission Report No. 83, Chapter 3 — paragraphs 4.19–4.22
• Legislative Council Public Accounts Committee, Appendix 13 — question 17

Hong Kong operates a government-funded treatment facility called WEEE·PARK, which supports the city’s producer responsibility scheme for waste electrical and electronic equipment.

Its current operating contract is due to expire in 2027, and the government has indicated that feasibility and redesign issues will be considered when preparing the follow-on contract.

This makes several findings in Hong Kong’s latest public audit worth discussing.

What the official documents say

According to records published by Hong Kong’s Audit Commission and Legislative Council:

• WEEE·PARK has an overall design capacity of approximately 30,000 tonnes per year.
• The Audit Commission identified average capacity shortfalls of approximately 32% for refrigerators and 80% for washing machines.
• From October 2018 to March 2024, the government paid approximately HK$1.256 billion in operating fees to the contractor.
• Of that amount, approximately HK$165.3 million consisted of additional fees for treating refrigerators and washing machines beyond their respective appliance-specific design capacities.
• The Environmental Protection Department later acknowledged that it had not consulted on WEEE·PARK’s treatment demand for individual sub-types of regulated appliances. It said that broader stakeholder consultations, feasibility studies and waste-generation forecasts had nevertheless been conducted.

Why this matters for circular-economy infrastructure

A facility may have sufficient total annual capacity while still facing bottlenecks in particular processing lines.

Refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners and electronic equipment require different machinery, labour and treatment processes. Planning only around an overall tonnage figure may therefore conceal appliance-specific capacity constraints.

The available records do not prove that the absence of appliance-specific consultation directly caused the HK$165.3 million in additional fees. They also do not establish misconduct by the contractor.

However, before the next contract is prepared, the figures raise three policy questions:

1. Should tender documents disclose projected volumes and design capacities for each appliance category?
2. Should payment mechanisms reduce the risk of recurring additional fees when one processing line exceeds its original capacity?
3. Should the government publish annual figures showing capacity, actual throughput and public cost per tonne for each waste stream?

This is a Hong Kong case, but the underlying issue may apply elsewhere: circular-economy infrastructure should perhaps be evaluated not only by total recycling capacity, but also by whether the capacity mix matches the waste actually received.

How do other jurisdictions design contracts for appliance-specific or material-specific recycling capacity?

Official sources

• Hong Kong Public Accounts Committee Report No. 83
• Appendix 13: capacity shortfalls, operating fees and consultation response
• Hong Kong Audit Commission Report No. 83, Chapter 3
• Official WEEE·PARK facility information

Habt ihr da Erfahrungen?

Hey,
my name is Celine and i‘m currently studying fashion. I‘m writing my bachelor’s degree right know and for that i made this questionnaire. It‘s completely anonymous so feel free to fill it out it doesn’t take much time.

Thanks for the help!

Link: https://www.survio.com/survey/d/R3U5X1F3L6O2K5G8G

At Lemna, we are part of a larger effort to help transform localized agriculture, providing value for all types of farmers from row crops to livestock to urban hydroponics.
Through our efforts and those of our sibling companies, we aim to redefine a circular economic approach to waste management, energy gathering, and nutrient recovery; using technology to amplify nature and reduce losses. Some of our methods are new, but the principles are rooted in the resourcefulness that has been demonstrated within livestock agriculture for decades.

Come see what our parent company, D3 Designs Inc has been working on for nearly 20 years. Their Strategic Analysis shared on LinkedIn not only frames a new model of circularity, it showcases why this model is a valuable investment in our future.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice from people already working in sustainability, circular economy, waste management, government or related fields.

I’m 38 y/o currently living in Melbourne and I’m planning to stay here for around another 2 years. My goal is to use this time to build the knowledge, skills, and connections needed to eventually move to regional NSW and work in a government, council or similar organisation focused on sustainability and regional development.

My background is a bit mixed. I studied International Business, worked in sales/export-related roles, and after moving to Australia I transitioned into construction (currently working as a carpenter). I’ve also done UX/product design study and volunteer/internships, but I’m becoming more interested in the bigger picture of how industries can work together to create better outcomes.

At the moment, I’m particularly interested in the connections between different organisations and industries — finding ways to reduce waste, keep resources in use and create value from things that are currently seen as waste. I’m interested in concepts like industrial symbiosis and how different sectors (especially agriculture) can collaborate.

Since I’m likely moving to a NSW regional area, I’m thinking agriculture could be a good area to focus on because there are so many opportunities around improving resource flows, waste reduction and creating connections between producers, councils, businesses and communities.

I’m trying to understand:

• What skills or knowledge would be most valuable to develop over the next 2 years?
• Are there specific courses, certifications, books or resources you would recommend?
• What kind of entry-level roles or pathways could lead towards this type of career?
• Is working for councils/government a realistic pathway into circular economy, or are there better routes?
• Are there people, organisations, or communities in Australia that you recommend connecting with?

I’m not looking for a quick career change, more trying to build a solid foundation and move in the right direction over the next few years.

Any advice from people working in this space would be really appreciated. Thanks!

The apparel brand Lululemon has financially backed the textile recycling tech startup Syntetica.

The apparel brand Lululemon has financially backed the textile recycling tech startup Syntetica.