Talking trash to avert a crisis

As Hong Kong's landfills approach full capacity, officials hope to delay the date by cutting the amount of trash being produced.

In its Action Blueprint report, the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department has set out a plan to reduce the per capita disposal rate of municipal solid waste - domestic, commercial and industrial - by 40 percent on 2011 levels by 2022.

The rate will be cut 20 percent by 2017, from 1.27 kg a day to 1 kg or below; and in 2022, it will be further reduced from 1 to 0.8 kg or below, according to the report.