An environmental protection group on Friday said it is a good sign that several companies are interested in taking up the government's beverage carton recycling contract, saying Hong Kong can recycle more cartons if the industry becomes more vibrant.

The Greeners Action's comment came after the Environmental Protection Department said it had received seven bids for its carton recycling contract.

In a reply to RTHK's inquiry, the department said it will announce the result next month.

The year-long contract will commence in July, a month after the SAR’s only recycler is expected to end operations after its lease ends.

Beatrice Siu, the senior public affairs officer at Greeners Action, said she is glad to see an enthusiastic response among recyclers.

"Maybe one reason [there are quite a few bidders] is that they are actually testing the waters, but of course we are happy to see that they are at least trying to bid for the project. It means that there are recyclers in the industry," she said.

She said experience from their own carton recycling scheme shows that there has been a growing demand for the service.

"Citizens are more aware that it is necessary to recycle the beverage cartons, but since there is only one recycler, the service is not enough to [cater to] the demand," she said.

"That, I think, is the reason that we see a very small amount of cartons recycled."

An average of 17 tonnes of cartons are collected at the government's recycling facilities across the territory every month. That compares to the 1,900 tonnes that ended up in landfills per month in 2021.

Siu said many more cartons could be recycled if there were more recyclers in the city, and called on the government to provide more assistance, including subsidies, for carton recyclers.