Hong Kong environmental innovator Shawn Cheng Yat-ho has spent more than 15 years turning rubbish into opportunity, creating one of the city’s most ambitious recycling and education networks.
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His long-standing efforts to promote a green environment have earned him a place as a finalist in this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards in the sustainability category.
Cheng did not start out as an environmental crusader. Trained in environmental science, he saw recycling as a practical way to fix a growing urban problem.
“Back then, there was almost no policy, no infrastructure. We could not wait for government funding. If something was needed, we just did it ourselves,” he recalled.
Those early years were spent driving battered lorries, collecting food waste and other recyclables by hand.
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