One of the topics of heated debate in local politics today pertains to landfill and what to do with waste that our citizens generate every day. Around the world, such a topic has drawn so much concern and attention from city dwellers that any city leader with a claim and ability to produce even a semi-acceptable result in addressing the problem might earn a ticket not only to the mayor's office, but also the presidency of the country.

The difficulty of producing a solution to the city's waste problem lies with the NIMBY, or not-in-my-backyard mentality. Yes we all understand that the garbage will have to be dumped somewhere and treated somewhere in the city, but definitely not anywhere close to my home, my property, nor even in my district. As a matter of fact, the dump site and treatment plant should be situated as far from the urban centers as possible.

On the other hand, Hong Kong often prides itself on being an international city that upholds universal standards and values, one of which is sustainable development. However, I truly wonder how many of us living in Hong Kong really understand what the term "sustainable development" means.

In 1987, the United Nations released the Brundtland Report, which included what is now one of the most widely recognized definitions: "Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

Also, according to the same report, the above definition contains within it two key concepts: first, the concept of "need", in particular the essential needs of the poor in the world, to which overriding priority should be given; second, the idea of the limitations of development drawing attention to the limitations of today's technology and the environment's ability to meet present and future needs.

Put plainly, if we, the human race as a whole, consume the world's resources at a rate faster than nature's ability to replenish these renewable resources, degradation of the environment will result and the situation will then be not sustainable for future generations to meet their own needs.

Only when we consume nature's assets at a rate less than nature's ability to replenish, allowing environmental renewal to take place, can sustainable development be possible.

Now back to our local problem of city waste, which includes residential and industrial waste. These wastes have to be managed through a system of collection, transportation, processing and final disposal to reduce their effect on health, the environment, aesthetics, and to provide a sense of well-being in our daily lives.

Waste management, usually the responsibility of local government authorities, generally consists of a set of strategies to comply with the principle of sustainable development.

The core strategy is prevention, which could only be made possible by public and civic education, the habitual indoctrination of self-consciousness, and through social participation. Only when every citizen is clearly aware of the necessity of self-restraint and the self-imposed responsibility for the needs of future generations, can a successful and meaningful waste management program be implemented without the social divisiveness and the political quagmire we are witnessing in Hong Kong today.

The issue of waste must be minimized, either by a conscious act of self-discipline, or through a "polluter pays principle", followed by a policy of re-use and recycling, which involves bio-processing through composting and digestion methods.

"Energy recovery" comes next with thermal treatment, gasification, pyrolysis, and biogas capturing. The last step is disposal, with incineration and landfills.

The aim of such a cascade of waste management strategies is to extract the maximum practical benefits from waste products and to generate the minimum amount of "disposable" waste.

Hong Kong has limited space for development and extension. We have one of the highest population densities in the world. We have very little choice but to be our family members' keeper, our neighbors' keeper, and our fellow citizens' keeper. And please also remember, we are also our future generations' keepers of a sustainable environment called Hong Kong.

The author is deputy chairman and secretary-general of China Energy Fund Committee, a think tank on energy and China-related issues.

(HK Edition 09/06/2013 page9)