Cyber Forensics Essay

Cyber Forensics by Richard Boddington School of Information Technology Assignment 2 – Research Essay Assignment outline †¢ Assignment 2 – Research Essay is a submission of an essay based on the cyber forensic environment and is worth 30% of the overall unit mark †¢ Internal and external students undertake the same activities and are assessed the same. ICT248 undergraduate students are assessed differently from ICT548 post-graduate students in Assignment 2 †¢ The submission of a research essay based on the cyber forensic environment. The length of the essay should be: †¢ ICT248 Undergraduate students – 3,500 words †¢ ICT548 Postgraduate students – 4,500 words 2 Research not a ‘free-range essay’ †¢ You are required to complete and submit a RESEARCHBASED essay describing and discussing the processes AND challenges involved in identifying, recovering, securing, examining, analysing and preparing digital evidence from a crime scene †¢ This covers the theoretical part of the unit and should be based on the lecture/workshop material, this guide, the lecture notes and, most importantly your own research endeavours †¢ In my experience, employers are looking for graduates who possess analytical, research and communication (writing) skills above and beyond the components of the degree 3 The essay MUST contain: †¢ Introduction and table of contents – Defining your scope of coverage of the essay †¢ Content – To enhance your grades, you MUST include some description and discussion of the following in your essay: †¢ †¢ †¢ Describe digital evidence Explain the key principles of cyber forensics Discuss investigation processes used to: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ preserve locate select analyse validate, and present evidence obtained from a computer for evidentiary purposes †¢ Discuss and the importance of crime reconstruction hypotheses and alternative hypotheses 4 The essay MUST contain: †¢ Conclusion – most students overlook and underestimate the conclusion – this is where you summarise the facts described in the body of your essay and add your own conclusions based on what you have read. No new material should be added here. †¢ Grammar and spelling – spell check your drafts – get a friend or relative to proof-read your drafts prior to submission †¢ References that are cited in the essay – use EndNote, if you wish. This is available from the Library, free of charge. Post your draft to Turnitin (see separate instructions) to ensure that you have not inadvertently plagiarised the work of others †¢ Bibliography of other reference material that was used but not cited 5 Essay structure †¢ Use appropriate headings and sub-headings that relate to the chosen topic †¢ The essay should include relevant quotations -properly referenced and examples used to support your discussion within the essay †¢ Please don’t overuse quotations (max 5% of the document and they are not included in the word count) †¢ You will also be assessed on the presentation of your essay, as well as the contents 6 Referencing †¢ The quality and breadth of references used will be taken into account and credit will be given for evidence of wide reading on the topic and use of material from a variety of sources (i. e. , Learning Guide, books, journals, websites, newspapers, etc) †¢ Marks will not be awarded where correct referencing is not used and will also not be awarded where the above instructions are not followed †¢ All assertions by other authors must be correctly referenced. †¢ Please restrict your own comments to observations about the work of authors you are quoting †¢ Your own world view and statements of unsubstantiated facts (that are not referenced) do not earn marks †¢ Please see the Online Resources page on the unit MyLMS homepage. This will provide you with some links to help you with your essay preparation and writing 7 Turnitin †¢ The Research Essay must be fully referenced where the assertions of other authors are being used and must first be submitted to Turnitin before it is submitted to LMS as a completed assignment †¢ The Turnitin account that will have been prepared for you by the Unit Coordinator and available through the Unit LMS site †¢ Late submissions due to delays in submitting assignments through TURNITIN are not grounds for seeking an extension for the assignment. 8 Suggested format of the essay †¢ Essay style may be in report form or an essay – that is your choice †¢ Use of heading and a table of contents makes it easier for you to structure the essay in a logical and cohesive form †¢ It also makes it easier for the reader to navigate your essay and helps prepare the reader for each new major concept that you are introducing. †¢ Refer to the hints and tips on essay writing and referencing that may have already been posted in the MyLMS discussion board. If you are not already making good use of the board by reading the contents, I exhort you to do so †¢ Include a descriptive title – many students do not do this 9 Essay structure †¢ Introduction – an overview of the key issues, concepts, etc. , that you want to share with your reader – some of you may wish to include an abstract †¢ Body of the essay – more details of what you have stated in your introduction – use sub headings – logical flow of information and key and sub-topics – dot points ok, but don’t over use them – quotes should be kept to a minimum and are not included in the word count – extra points awarded for you paraphrasing the work of the authors you quote †¢ Use linking paragraphs to introduce the next topic †¢ Some room for argument in your essay, but restrict this to your opinion of the work of credible authors you include in your essay 10 Reference materials †¢ Referencing – as above – ensure it meets the academic standards of the university. Suspected plagiarism will be reported to the Dean – so take care to avoid it †¢ For an essay of this calibre – I suggest at least 5 quality journal or book articles per topic. †¢ Bibliography to include those references you looked at but did not include as a reference will also enhance your essay’s credibility 11 Searching for materials †¢ Try the new iGoogle feature that incorporates SFX FindIT to enhance your search for quality articles and books on the essay topic: http://wwwlib. murdoch. edu. au/mylibrary/tools. html 12 13 Criteria Assignment Structure Max marks 3 Comments Mark awarded Introduction, objectives, scope, logical flow, headings and subheadings Grammar, spelling 4 Correct English usage Coverage of the Topic 15 Coverage, matches scope. Information not appropriately referenced at best gets no marks and at worse may suggest plagiarism. o o o o Analysis, Conclusion and discussion Describe digital evidence Explain the key principles of cyber forensics. Discuss examination processes used to: ? preserve ? locate ? select ? analyse ? validate, and ? present evidence obtained from a computer for evidentiary purposes. Discuss and the importance of crime reconstruction hypotheses and alternative hypotheses. 4 Draws together discussion, highlights implications, etc. Citations 4 Used correctly in-text, provide examples included in references References Quality, breadth, completeness, matches citations, Bibliography. TOTAL MARKS 30 14 15

Comparative Analysis of Private, Public Banks

Ibmr| study on impact of technology on customer needs in banking| | | NAYANA SHREE N S| MBA FINANCE| Project on study on impact of technology on customer needs in banking SEMESTER IV SUBMITTED BY NAYANA SHREE N S ROLL NO. IBMR COLLEGE IBMR COLLEGE Address: CERTIFICATE This is to certify that Nayana Shree N S of MBA FINANCE Semester IV {2012-13} has successfully completed the project on â€Å"Project on study on impact of technology on customer needs in banking† under the guidance of Mrs. Bickram . Course Co-ordinatorPrincipalProject Guide/ Internal Examiner External Examiner DECLARATION I Nayana Shree N S the student of MBA Finance Semester IV {2012-13} hereby declare that I have completed the project on â€Å"Project on study on impact of technology on customer needs in banking†. The information submitted is true and original to the best of my knowledge. Signature Nayana Shree N S Roll No. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Many people have played a part in making this project study a su ccess by giving their valuable inputs and useful suggestions.Firstly I would express my gratitude to the University Of Mysore for providing me the opportunity to study the practical aspects of banking and insurance. I am thankful to the principal Mrs. xxxxxxx for giving me an opportunity to work on this project. I am also thankful to our co-ordinator Mrs. xxxxxx for her immeasurable encouragement and support. I am also particularly grateful to my project guide xxxxx for extending his support and time. INDEX Chapter No. | Titles| Pg. No. | 1| Introduction| 1-7| 2| Role Of Technology| 8| 3| E-Banking| 9-12| | Digital Signatures| 13-15| 5| Card Skimming| 16| 6| Credit Cards| 17-20| 7| Mobile Banking| 21-23| 8| Electronic Funds Transfer| 24-26| 9| Debit Cards| 27-33| 10| Telephone Banking| 34-35| 11| Uses Of Information Technology In Banks| 36-39| 12| Technology Vision 2020| 40-44| 13| Present Level of Computerization| 45-46| 14| Advantages of Technology| 47-48| 15| Disadvantages of Tec hnology| 49-50| 16| Nature and Change in Banking| 51-53| 17| Issues and Challenges| 54| 18| Countermeasures to Frauds| 55-58| 19| Conclusion| 59| 20| Bibliography| 60| INTRODUCTIONIn the five decades since independence, banking in India has evolved through four distinct phases. During Fourth phase, also called as Reform Phase, Recommendations of the Narasimham Committee (1991) paved the way for the reform phase in the banking. Important initiatives with regard to the reform of the banking system were taken in this phase. Important among these have been introduction of new accounting and prudential norms relating to income recognition, provisioning and capital adequacy, deregulation of interest rates & easing of norms for entry in the field of banking.Entry of new banks resulted in a paradigm shift in the ways of banking in India. The growing competition, growing expectations led to increased awareness amongst banks on the role and importance of technology in banking. The arrival of foreign and private banks with their superior state-of-the-art technology-based services pushed Indian Banks also to follow suit by going in for the latest technologies so as to meet the threat of competition and retain their customer base. Indian banking industry, today is in the midst of an IT revolution.A combination of regulatory and competitive reasons have led to increasing importance of total banking automation in the Indian Banking Industry. Information Technology has basically been used under two different avenues in Banking. One is Communication and Connectivity and other is Business Process Reengineering. Information technology enables sophisticated product development, better market infrastructure, implementation of reliable techniques for control of risks and helps the financial intermediaries to reach geographically distant and diversified markets.In view of this, technology has changed the contours of three major functions performed by banks, i. e. , access to liquidi ty, transformation of assets and monitoring of risks. Further, Information technology and the communication networking systems have a crucial bearing on the efficiency of money, capital and foreign exchange markets. The Software Packages for Banking Applications in India had their beginnings in the middle of 80s, when the Banks started computerizing the branches in a limited manner.The early 90s saw the plummeting hardware prices and advent of cheap and inexpensive but high-powered PCs and servers and banks went in for what was called Total Branch Automation (TBA) Packages. The middle and late 90s witnessed the tornado of financial reforms, deregulation, globalization etc. coupled with rapid revolution in communication technologies and evolution of novel concept of ‘convergence' of computer and communication technologies, like Internet, mobile / cell phones etc. MILESTONESIn India, banks as well as other financial entities entered the world of information technology and with I ndian Financial Net (INFINET). INFINET, a wide area satellite based network (WAN) using VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminals) technology, was jointly set up by the Reserve Bank and Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT) in June 1999. The Indian Financial Network (INFINET) which initially comprised only the public sector banks was opened up for participation by other categories of members.The first set of applications that could benefit greatly from the use of technological advances in the computer and communications area relate to the Payment systems which form the lifeline of any banking activity. The process of reforms in payment and settlement systems has gained momentum with the implementation of projects such as NDS ((Negotiated Dealing System), CFMS (Centralised Funds Management System) for better funds management by banks and SFMS (Structured Financial Messaging Solution) for secure message transfer.This would result in funds transfers and funds-r elated message transfer to be routed electronically across banks using the medium of the INFINET. Negotiated dealing system (NDS), which has become operational since February 2002 and RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement system) scheduled towards the end of 2003 are other major developments in the area. Internet has significantly influenced delivery channels of the banks. Internet has emerged as an important medium for delivery of banking products & services.Detailed guidelines of RBI for Internet Banking has prepared the necessary ground for growth of Internet Banking in India. The Information Technology Act, 2000 has given legal recognition to creation, trans-mission and retention of an electronic (or magnetic) data to be treated as valid proof in a court of law, except in those areas, which continue to be governed by the provisions of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.As stated in RBI's Annual Monetary and Credit Policy 2002-2003: â€Å"To reap the full benefits of such electroni c message transfers, it is necessary that banks bestow sufficient attention on the computerization and networking of the branches situated at commercially important centers on a time-bound basis. Intra-city and intra-bank networking would facilitate in addressing the â€Å"last mile† problem which would in turn result in quick and efficient funds transfers across the country†. Implementation of Centralized Funds Management SystemThe centralized funds management system (CFMS) provides for a centralized viewing of balance positions of the account holders across different accounts maintained at various locations of RBI. While the first phase of the system covering the centralized funds enquiry system (CFES) has been made available to the users, the second phase comprising the centralized funds transfer system (CFTS) would be made available by the middle of 2003. So far, 54 banks have implemented the system at their treasuries/funds management branches.Certification and Dig ital Signatures The mid-term Review of October 2002 indicated the need for information security on the network and the use of public key infrastructure (PKI) by banks. The Controller of Certifying Authorities, Government of India, have approved the Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT) as a Certification Authority (CA) for digital signatures. Consequently, the process of setting up of registration authorities (RA) under the CA has commenced at various banks.In addition to the negotiated dealing system (NDS), the electronic clearing service (ECS) and electronic funds transfer (EFT) are also being enhanced in terms of security by means of implementation of PKI and digital signatures using the facilities offered by the CA. Committee on Payment Systems In order to examine the entire gamut of the process of reforms in payment and settlement systems which would be culminating with the real time gross settlement (RTGS) system, a Committee on Payment Systems ( Chairman: Dr. R. H.Patil) was set up in 2002. The Committee, after examining the various aspects relating to payment and settlement systems, submitted its report in September 2002 along with a draft Payment Systems Bill. The draft Bill provides, inter alia, a legal basis for netting, apart from empowering RBI to have regulatory and oversight powers over payment and settlement systems of the country. The report of the Committee was put on the RBI website for wider dissemination. The draft Bill has been forwarded to the Government. Multi-application Smart CardsRecognizing the need for technology based payment products and the growing importance of smart card based payment flows, a pilot project for multi-application smart cards in conjunction with a few banks and vendors, under the aegis of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Government of India, has been initiated. The project is aimed at the formulation of standards for multi-application smart cards on the bas is of inter-operable systems and technological components of the entire system. Special Electronic Funds TransferAs indicated in the mid-term Review of October 2002, national EFT (NEFT) is being introduced using the backbone of the structured financial messaging system (SFMS) of the IDRBT. NEFT would provide for movement of electronic transfer of funds in a safe, secure and quick manner across branches of any bank to any other bank through a central gateway of each bank, with the inter-bank settlement being effected in the books of account of banks maintained at RBI. Since this scheme requires connectivity across a large number of branches at many cities, a special EFT (SEFT) was introduced in April 2003 covering about 3000 branches in 500 cities.This has facilitated same day transfer of funds across accounts of constituents at all these branches. National Settlement System (NSS) The clearing and settlement activities are dispersed through 1,047 clearing houses managed by RBI, the S tate Bank of India and its associates, public sector banks and other institutions. In order to facilitate banks to have better control over their funds, it is proposed to introduce national settlement system (NSS) in a phased manner. Real Time Gross Settlement System (RTGS) As indicated in the mid-term Review of October 2002, development of the various software modules for the RTGS system is in progress.The initial set of modules is expected to be delivered by June 2003 for members to conduct tests and familiarisation exercises. The live run of RTGS is scheduled towards the end of 2003. Reporting of Call/Notice Money Market Transactions on NDS Platform Negotiated dealing system (NDS), which has become operational since February 2002, enables on-line dealing and dissemination of trade information relating to instruments in money, government securities and foreign exchange markets. Membership in NDS is open to all institutions which are members of INFINET and are maintaining subsidiar y general ledger (SGL) Account with RBI.These include banks, financial institutions (FIs), primary dealers (PDs), insurance companies, mutual funds and any other institution as admitted by RBI. At present, all deals in government securities, call/notice/term money, CDs and CP executed among NDS members have to be reported automatically through NDS, if the deal is done on NDS and within 15 minutes of concluding the deal, if done outside NDS. However, it has been observed that a very sizeable proportion of daily call/notice money market deals is not reported by members on NDS as stipulated.With a view to improving transparency and strengthening efficiency in the market, it is proposed that: 1. From the fortnight beginning May 3, 2003, it would be mandatory for all NDS members to report all their call/notice money market deals on NDS. Deals done outside NDS should be reported within 15 minutes on NDS, irrespective of the size of the deal or whether the counterparty is a member of the N DS or not. 2. Full compliance with the reporting requirement to NDS will be reviewed in September 2003.In case there is repeated non-reporting of deals by an NDS member, it will be considered whether non-reported deals by that member should be treated as invalid with effect from a future date. ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY Information Technology has basically been used under two different avenues in Banking. One is Communication and Connectivity and other is Business Process Reengineering. Information technology enables sophisticated product development, better market infrastructure, implementation of reliable techniques for control of risks and helps the financial intermediaries to reach geographically distant and diversified markets.In view of this, technology has changed the contours of three major functions performed by banks, i. e. , access to liquidity, transformation of assets and monitoring of risks. Further, Information technology and the communication networking systems have a crucia l bearing on the efficiency of money, capital and foreign exchange markets. Internet has significantly influenced delivery channels of the banks. Internet has emerged as an important medium for delivery of banking products ; services. Detailed guidelines of RBI for Internet Banking has prepared the necessary ground for growth of Internet Banking in India.The Information Technology Act, 2000 has given legal recognition to creation, transmission and retention of an electronic (or magnetic) data to be treated as valid proof in a court of law, except in those areas, which continue to be governed by the provisions of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881. As stated in RBI's Annual Monetary and Credit Policy 2002-2003: â€Å"To reap the full benefits of such electronic message transfers, it is necessary that banks bestow sufficient attention on the computerisation and networking of the branches situated at commercially important centres on a time-bound basis.Intra-city and intra-bank netw orking would facilitate in addressing the â€Å"last mile† problem which would in turn result in quick and efficient funds transfers across the country†. E-BANKING Online banking (or Internet banking) allows customers to conduct financial transactions on a secure website operated by their retail or virtual bank, credit union or building society. Online banking solutions have many features and capabilities in common, but traditionally also have some that are application specific. The common features fall broadly into several categories Transactional (e. g. , performing a financial transaction such as an account to account transfer, paying a bill, wire transfer, apply for a loan, new account, etc. ) * Payments to third parties, including bill payments and telegraphic/wire transfers * Funds transfers between a customer's own transactional account and savings accounts * Investment purchase or sale * Loan applications and transactions, such as repayments of enrollments * Non -transactional (e. g. , online statements, cheque links, cobrowsing, chat) * Viewing recent transactions Downloading bank statements , for example in PDF format * Viewing images of paid cheques * Financial Institution Administration * Management of multiple users having varying levels of authority * Transaction approval process Features commonly unique to Internet banking include Personal financial management support, such as importing data into personal accounting software Some online banking platforms support account aggregation to allow the customers to monitor all of their accounts in one place whether they are with their main bank or with other institutions. History of E-BankingThe precursor for the modern home online banking services were the distance banking services over electronic media from the early 1980s. The term online became popular in the late '80s and referred to the use of a terminal, keyboard and TV (or monitor) to access the banking system using a phone line. â⠂¬ËœHome banking’ can also refer to the use of a numeric keypad to send tones down a phone line with instructions to the bank. Online services started in New York in 1981 when four of the city’s major banks (Citibank, Chase Manhattan, Chemical andManufacturers Hanover) offered home banking services[1] using the videotex system.Because of the commercial failure of videotex these banking services never became popular except in France where the use of videotex (Minitel) was subsidised by the telecom provider and the UK, where the Prestel system was used. The UK's first home online banking services[2] was set up by Bank of Scotland for customers of the Nottingham Building Society (NBS) in 1983. [3] The system used was based on the UK's Prestel system and used a computer, such as the BBC Micro, or keyboard (Tandata Td1400) connected to the telephone system and television set.The system (known as ‘Homelink') allowed on-line viewing of statements, bank transfers and bil l payments. In order to make bank transfers and bill payments, a written instruction giving details of the intended recipient had to be sent to the NBS who set the details up on the Homelink system. Typical recipients were gas, electricity and telephone companies and accounts with other banks. Details of payments to be made were input into the NBS system by the account holder via Prestel.A cheque was then sent by NBS to the payee and an advice giving details of the payment was sent to the account holder. BACS was later used to transfer the payment directly. Stanford Federal Credit Union was the first financial institution to offer online internet banking services to all of its members in October 1994. [citation needed] Today, many banks are internet only banks. Unlike their predecessors, these internet only banks do not maintain brick and mortar bank branches. Instead, they typically differentiate themselves by offering better interest rates and online banking features.Security Prot ection through single password authentication, as is the case in most secure Internet shopping sites, is not considered secure enough for personal online banking applications in some countries. Basically there exist two different security methods for online banking. 1. The PIN/TAN system where the PIN represents a password, used for the login and TANs representing one-time passwords to authenticate transactions. TANs can be distributed in different ways, the most popular one is to send a list of TANs to the online banking user by postal letter.The most secure way of using TANs is to generate them by need using asecurity token. These token generated TANs depend on the time and a unique secret, stored in the security token (this is called two-factor authentication or 2FA). Usually online banking with PIN/TAN is done via a web browser using SSL secured connections, so that there is no additional encryption needed. Another way to provide TANs to an online banking user is to send the TAN of the current bank transaction to the user's (GSM) mobile phone via SMS. The SMS text usually quotes the transaction amount and details, the TAN is only valid for a short period of time.Especially in Germany and Austria, many banks have adopted this â€Å"SMS TAN† service as it is considered very secure. 2. Signature based online banking where all transactions are signed and encrypted digitally. The Keys for the signature generation and encryption can be stored on smartcards or any memory medium, depending on the concrete implementation. Attacks Most of the attacks on online banking used today are based on deceiving the user to steal login data and valid TANs. Two well known examples for those attacks are phishing and pharming. Cross-site scripting and keylogger/Trojan horses can also be used to steal login information.A method to attack signature based online banking methods is to manipulate the used software in a way, that correct transactions are shown on the screen and faked transactions are signed in the background. A recent FDIC Technology Incident Report, compiled from suspicious activity reports banks file quarterly, lists 536 cases of computer intrusion, with an average loss per incident of $30,000. That adds up to a nearly $16-million loss in the second quarter of 2007. Computer intrusions increased by 150 percent between the first quarter of 2007 and the second.In 80 percent of the cases, the source of the intrusion is unknown but it occurred during online banking, the report states. The most recent kind of attack is the so-called Man in the Browser attack, where a Trojan horse permits a remote attacker to modify the destination account number and also the amount. Countermeasures There exist several countermeasures which try to avoid attacks. Digital certificates are used against phishing and pharming, the use of class-3 card readers is a measure to avoid manipulation of transactions by the software in signature based online banking variant s.To protect their systems against Trojan horses, users should use virus scanners and be careful with downloaded software or e-mail attachments. DIGITAL SIGNATURES A digital signature or digital signature scheme is a mathematical scheme for demonstrating the authenticity of a digital message or document. A valid digital signature gives a recipient reason to believe that the message was created by a known sender, and that it was not altered in transit. Digital signatures are commonly used for software distribution, financial transactions, and in other cases where it is important to detect forgery or tampering.Digital signatures are often used to implement electronic signatures, a broader term that refers to any electronic data that carries the intent of a signature, but not all electronic signatures use digital signatures. In some countries, including the United States, India, and members of the European Union, electronic signatures have legal significance. However, laws concerning e lectronic signatures do not always make clear whether they are digital cryptographic signatures in the sense used here, leaving the legal definition, and so their importance, somewhat confused.Digital signatures employ a type of asymmetric cryptography. For messages sent through a nonsecure channel, a properly implemented digital signature gives the receiver reason to believe the message was sent by the claimed sender. Digital signatures are equivalent to traditional handwritten signatures in many respects; properly implemented digital signatures are more difficult to forge than the handwritten type. Digital signature schemes in the sense used here are cryptographically based, and must be implemented properly to be effective.Digital signatures can also provide non-repudiation, meaning that the signer cannot successfully claim they did not sign a message, while also claiming their private key remains secret; further, some non-repudiation schemes offer a time stamp for the digital sig nature, so that even if the private key is exposed, the signature is valid nonetheless. Digitally signed messages may be anything representable as a bitstring: examples include electronic mail, contracts, or a message sent via some other cryptographic protocol. A digital signature scheme typically consists of three algorithms: 1.A key generation algorithm that selects a private key uniformly at random from a set of possible private keys. The algorithm outputs the private key and a corresponding public key. 2. A signing algorithm that, given a message and a private key, produces a signature. 3. A signature verifying algorithm that, given a message, public key and a signature, either accepts or rejects the message's claim to authenticity. Two main properties are required. First, a signature generated from a fixed message and fixed private key should verify the authenticity of that message by using the corresponding public key.Secondly, it should be computationally infeasible to genera te a valid signature for a party who does not possess the private key. Uses of digital signatures As organizations move away from paper documents with ink signatures or authenticity stamps, digital signatures can provide added assurances of the evidence to provenance, identity, and status of an electronic document as well as acknowledging informed consent and approval by a signatory. The United States Government Printing Office (GPO) publishes electronic versions of the budget, public and private laws, and congressional bills with digital signatures.Universities including Penn State, University of Chicago, and Stanford are publishing electronic student transcripts with digital signatures. Below are some common reasons for applying a digital signature to communications: Authentication Although messages may often include information about the entity sending a message, that information may not be accurate. Digital signatures can be used to authenticate the source of messages. When owne rship of a digital signature secret key is bound to a specific user, a valid signature shows that the message was sent by that user.The importance of high confidence in sender authenticity is especially obvious in a financial context. For example, suppose a bank's branch office sends instructions to the central office requesting a change in the balance of an account. If the central office is not convinced that such a message is truly sent from an authorized source, acting on such a request could be a grave mistake. Integrity In many scenarios, the sender and receiver of a message may have a need for confidence that the message has not been altered during transmission.Although encryption hides the contents of a message, it may be possible to change an encrypted message without understanding it. (Some encryption algorithms, known as nonmalleable ones, prevent this, but others do not. ) However, if a message is digitally signed, any change in the message after signature will invalidate the signature. Furthermore, there is no efficient way to modify a message and its signature to produce a new message with a valid signature, because this is still considered to be computationally infeasible by most cryptographic hash functions (see collision resistance). Digital signatures vs. nk on paper signatures An ink signature can be easily replicated from one document to another by copying the image manually or digitally. Digital signatures cryptographically bind an electronic identity to an electronic document and the digital signature cannot be copied to another document. Paper contracts often have the ink signature block on the last page, and the previous pages may be replaced after a signature is applied. Digital signatures can be applied to an entire document, such that the digital signature on the last page will indicate tampering if any data on any of the pages have been altered. CARD SKIMMING Card skimming’ is the illegal copying of information from the magnet ic strip of a credit or ATM card. It is a more direct version of a phishing scam. The scammers try to steal your details so they can access your accounts. Once scammers have skimmed your card, they can create a fake or ‘cloned’ card with your details on it. The scammer is then able to run up charges on your account. Card skimming is also a way for scammers to steal your identity (your personal details) and use it to commit identity fraud. By stealing your personal details and account numbers the scammer may be able to borrow money or take out loans in your name.Warning signs †¢A shop assistant takes your card out of your sight in order to process your transaction. †¢You are asked to swipe your card through more than one machine. †¢You see a shop assistant swipe the card through a different machine to the one you used. †¢You notice something suspicious about the card slot on an ATM (e. g. an attached device). †¢You notice unusual or unauthorised transactions on your account or credit card statement. Protect yourself from card skimming †¢Keep your credit card and ATM cards safe. Do not share your personal identity number (PIN) with anyone. Do not keep any written copy of your PIN with the card. Check your bank account and credit card statements when you get them. If you see a transaction you cannot explain, report it to your credit union or bank. †¢Choose passwords that would be difficult for anyone else to guess. CREDIT CARDS A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services. [1] The issuer of the card creates a revolving account and grants a line of credit to the consumer (or the user) from which the user can borrow money for payment to a merchant or as a cash advance to the user.A credit card is different from a charge card: a charge card requires the balance to be paid in full each month. In contrast, credit cards allow the consumers a continuing balance of debt, subject to interest being charged. A credit card also differs from a cash card, which can be used like currency by the owner of the card. Most credit cards are issued by banks or credit unions, and are the shape and size specified by the ISO/IEC 7810standard as ID-1. This is defined as 85. 60 ? 53. 98 mm (3. 370 ? 2. 125 in) (33/8 ? 21/8 in) in size .How credit cards work Credit cards are issued by a credit card issuer, such as a bank or credit union, after an account has been approved by the credit provider, after which cardholders can use it to make purchases at merchants accepting that card. Merchants often advertise which cards they accept by displaying acceptance marks – generally derived from logos – or may communicate this orally, as in â€Å"Credit cards are fine† (implicitly meaning â€Å"major brands†), â€Å"We take (brands X, Y, and Z)†, or â₠¬Å"We don't take credit cards†.When a purchase is made, the credit card user agrees to pay the card issuer. The cardholder indicates consent to pay by signing a receiptwith a record of the card details and indicating the amount to be paid or by entering a personal identification number (PIN). Also, many merchants now accept verbal authorizations via telephone and electronic authorization using the Internet, known as a card not present transaction (CNP).Electronic verification systems allow merchants to verify in a few seconds that the card is valid and the credit card customer has sufficient credit to cover the purchase, allowing the verification to happen at time of purchase. The verification is performed using a credit card payment terminal or point-of-sale (POS) system with a communications link to the merchant's acquiring bank. Data from the card is obtained from amagnetic stripe or chip on the card; the latter system is called Chip and PIN in the United Kingdom and Irelan d, and is implemented as anEMV card.For card not present transactions where the card is not shown (e. g. , e-commerce, mail order, and telephone sales), merchants additionally verify that the customer is in physical possession of the card and is the authorized user by asking for additional information such as thesecurity code printed on the back of the card, date of expiry, and billing address. Each month, the credit card user is sent a statement indicating the purchases undertaken with the card, any outstanding fees, and the total amount owed.After receiving the statement, the cardholder may dispute any charges that he or she thinks are incorrect (see 15 U. S. C.  § 1643, which limits cardholder liability for unauthorized use of a credit card to $50, and the Fair Credit Billing Act for details of the US regulations). Otherwise, the cardholder must pay a defined minimum proportion of the bill by a due date, or may choose to pay a higher amount up to the entire amount owed. The cre dit issuer charges interest on the amount owed if the balance is not paid in full (typically at a much higher rate than most other forms of debt).In addition, if the credit card user fails to make at least the minimum payment by the due date, the issuer may impose a â€Å"late fee† and/or other penalties on the user. To help mitigate this, some financial institutions can arrange for automatic payments to be deducted from the user's bank accounts, thus avoiding such penalties altogether as long as the cardholder has sufficient funds. Interest charges Credit card issuers usually waive interest charges if the balance is paid in full each month, but typically will charge full interest on the entire outstanding balance from the date of each purchase if the total balance is not paid.For example, if a user had a $1,000 transaction and repaid it in full within this grace period, there would be no interest charged. If, however, even $1. 00 of the total amount remained unpaid, interest would be charged on the $1,000 from the date of purchase until the payment is received. The precise manner in which interest is charged is usually detailed in a cardholder agreement which may be summarized on the back of the monthly statement. The general calculation formula most financial institutions use to determine the amount of interest to be charged is APR/100 x ADB/365 x number of days revolved.Take the annual percentage rate (APR) and divide by 100 then multiply to the amount of the average daily balance (ADB) divided by 365 and then take this total and multiply by the total number of days the amount revolved before payment was made on the account. Financial institutions refer to interest charged back to the original time of the transaction and up to the time a payment was made, if not in full, as RRFC or residual retail finance charge.Thus after an amount has revolved and a payment has been made, the user of the card will still receive interest charges on their statement a fter paying the next statement in full (in fact the statement may only have a charge for interest that collected up until the date the full balance was paid, i. e. when the balance stopped revolving). The credit card may simply serve as a form of revolving credit, or it may become a complicated financial instrument with multiple balance segments each at a different interest rate, possibly with a single umbrella credit limit, or with separate credit limits applicable to the various balance segments.Usually this compartmentalization is the result of special incentive offers from the issuing bank, to encourage balance transfers from cards of other issuers. In the event that several interest rates apply to various balance segments, payment allocation is generally at the discretion of the issuing bank, and payments will therefore usually be allocated towards the lowest rate balances until paid in full before any money is paid towards higher rate balances.Interest rates can vary considera bly from card to card, and the interest rate on a particular card may jump dramatically if the card user is late with a payment on that card or any other credit instrument, or even if the issuing bank decides to raise its revenue. Benefits to customers The main benefit to each customer is convenience. Compared to debit cards and cheques, a credit card allows small short-term loans to be quickly made to a customer who need not calculate a balance remaining before every transaction, provided the total charges do not exceed the maximum credit line for the card.Credit cards also provide more fraud protection than debit cards. In the UK for example, the bank is jointly liable with the merchant for purchases of defective products over ? 100. [5] Many credit cards offer rewards and benefits packages, such as offering enhanced product warranties at no cost, free loss/damage coverage on new purchases, and points which may be redeemed for cash, products, or airline tickets. Additionally, carr ying a credit card may be a convenience to some customers as it eliminates the need to carry any cash for most purposes.MOBILE BANKING Mobile banking (also known as M-Banking, mbanking, SMS Banking) is a term used for performing balance checks, account transactions, payments, credit applications and other banking transactions through a mobile device such as a mobile phone or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). The earliest mobile banking services were offered over SMS. With the introduction of the first primitive smart phones withWAP support enabling the use of the mobile web in 1999, the first European banks started to offer mobile banking on this platform to their customers .Mobile banking has until recently (2010) most often been performed via SMS or the Mobile Web. Apple'sinitial success with iPhone and the rapid growth of phones based on Google's Android (operating system)have led to increasing use of special client programs, called apps, downloaded to the mobile device. Mobile B anking Services Mobile banking can offer services such as the following: Account Information 1. Mini-statements and checking of account history 2. Alerts on account activity or passing of set thresholds 3. Monitoring of term deposits 4. Access to loan statements 5. Access to card statements . Mutual funds / equity statements 7. Insurance policy management 8. Pension plan management 9. Status on cheque, stop payment on cheque 10. Ordering cheque books 11. Balance checking in the account 12. Recent transactions 13. Due date of payment (functionality for stop, change and deleting of payments) 14. PIN provision, Change of PIN and reminder over the Internet 15. Blocking of (lost, stolen) cards Payments, Deposits, Withdrawals, and Transfers 1. Domestic and international fund transfers 2. Micro-payment handling 3. Mobile recharging 4. Commercial payment processing 5. Bill payment processing . Peer to Peer payments 7. Withdrawal at banking agent 8. Deposit at banking agent A specific sequen ce of SMS messages will enable the system to verify if the client has sufficient funds in his or her wallet and authorize a deposit or withdrawal transaction at the agent. When depositing money, the merchant receives cash and the system credits the client's bank account or mobile wallet. In the same way the client can also withdraw money at the merchant: through exchanging sms to provide authorization, the merchant hands the client cash and debits the merchant's account. Investments 1.Portfolio management services 2. Real-time stock quotes 3. Personalized alerts and notifications on security prices Support 1. Status of requests for credit, including mortgage approval, and insurance coverage 2. Check (cheque) book and card requests 3. Exchange of data messages and email, including complaint submission and tracking 4. ATM Location Content Services 1. General information such as weather updates, news 2. Loyalty-related offers 3. Location-based services Based on a survey conducted by Fo rrester, mobile banking will be attractive mainly to the younger, more â€Å"tech-savvy† customer segment.A third of mobile phone users say that they may consider performing some kind of financial transaction through their mobile phone. But most of the users are interested in performing basic transactions such as querying for account balance and making bill payment. ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER Electronic funds transfer or EFT is the electronic exchange or transfer of money from one account to another, either within a single financial institution or across multiple institutions, through computer-based systems. The term is used for a number of different concepts: Cardholder-initiated transactions, where a cardholder makes use of a payment card * Direct deposit payroll payments for a business to its employees, possibly via a payroll service bureau * Direct debit payments, sometimes called electronic checks, for which a business debits the consumer's bank accounts for payment for g oods or services * Electronic bill payment in online banking, which may be delivered by EFT or paper check * Transactions involving stored value of electronic money, possibly in a private currency * Wire transfer via an international banking network (carries a higher fee in North America) * Electronic Benefit Transfer In 1978 U. S. Congress passed the Electronic Funds Transfer Act to establish the rights and liabilities of consumers as well as the responsibilities of all participants in EFT activities in the United States. RTGSReal time gross settlement systems (RTGS) are funds transfer systems where transfer of money or securities[1] takes place from one bank to another on a â€Å"real time† and on â€Å"gross† basis. Settlement in â€Å"real time† means payment transaction is not subjected to any waiting period. The transactions are settled as soon as they are processed. â€Å"Gross settlement† means the transaction is settled on one to one basis withou t bunching or netting with any other transaction. Once processed, payments are final and irrevocable. Fees for RTGS vary from bank to bank. RBI has prescribed upper limit for the fees which can be charged by all banks both for NEFT and RTGS.Both the remitting and receiving must have Core banking in place to enter into RTGS transactions. Core Banking enabled banks and branches are assigned an Indian Financial System Code (IFSC) for RTGS and NEFT purposes. This is an eleven digit alphanumeric code and unique to each branch of bank. The first four alphabets indicate the identity of the bank and remaining seven numerals indicate a single branch. This code is provided on the cheque books, which are required for transactions along with recipient's account number. RTGS is a large value (minimum value of transaction should be Rs 2,00,000) funds transfer system whereby financial intermediaries can settle interbank transfers for their own account as well as for their customers.The system effe cts final settlement of interbank funds transfers on a continuous, transaction-by-transaction basis throughout the processing day. Customers can access the RTGS facility between 9 am to 4:30 pm on week days and 9 am to 1:30 pm on Saturday. However, the timings that the banks follow may vary depending on the customer timings of the bank branches. Banks could use balances maintained under the cash reserve ratio (CRR) and the intra-day liquidity (IDL) to be supplied by the central bank, for meeting any eventuality arising out of the real time gross settlement (RTGS). The RBI fixed the IDL limit for banks to three times their net owned fund (NOF). The IDL will be charged at Rs 25 per transaction entered into by the bank on theRTGS platform. The marketable securities and treasury billswill have to be placed as collateral with a margin of five per cent. However, the apex bank will also impose severe penalties if the IDL is not paid back at the end of the day. National Electronic Fund Tran sfer National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT) is an online system for transferring funds of Indian financial institution (especially banks). There is no minimum limit for fund transfer in NEFT system. DEBIT CARDS A debit card (also known as a bank card or check card) is a plastic card that provides the cardholder electronic access to his or her bank account/s at a financial institution.Some cards have a stored value with which a payment is made, while most relay a message to the cardholder's bank to withdraw funds from a designated account in favor of the payee's designated bank account. The card can be used as an alternative payment method to cash when making purchases. In some cases, the cards are designed exclusively for use on the Internet, and so there is no physical card. In many countries the use of debit cards has become so widespread that their volume of use has overtaken or entirely replaced the check and, in some instances, cash transactions. Like credit cards, debit card s are used widely for telephone and Internet purchases. However, unlike credit cards, the funds paid using a debit card are transferred immediately from the bearer's bank account, instead of having the bearer pay back the money at a later date.Debit cards usually also allow for instant withdrawal of cash, acting as the ATM card for withdrawing cash and as a check guarantee card. Merchants may also offer cashback facilities to customers, where a customer can withdraw cash along with their purchase. Online Debit System Online debit cards require electronic authorization of every transaction and the debits are reflected in the user’s account immediately. The transaction may be additionally secured with the personal identification number (PIN) authentication system and some online cards require such authentication for every transaction, essentially becoming enhanced automatic teller machine(ATM) cards.One difficulty in using online debit cards is the necessity of an electronic au thorization device at the point of sale (POS) and sometimes also a separate PINpad to enter the PIN, although this is becoming commonplace for all card transactions in many countries. Overall, the online debit card is generally viewed as superior to the offline debit card because of its more secure authentication system and live status, which alleviates problems with processing lag on transactions that may only issue online debit cards. Some on-line debit systems are using the normal authentication processes of Internet banking to provide real-time on-line debit transactions. The most notable of these are Ideal and POLi. Offline Debit SystemOffline debit cards have the logos of major credit cards (for example, Visa or MasterCard) or major debit cards (for example, Maestro in the United Kingdom and other countries, but not the United States) and are used at the point of sale like a credit card (with payer's signature). This type of debit card may be subject to a daily limit, and/or a maximum limit equal to the current/checking account balance from which it draws funds. Transactions conducted with offline debit cards require 2–3 days to be reflected on users’ account balances. In some countries and with some banks and merchant service organizations, a â€Å"credit† or offline debit transaction is without cost to the purchaser beyond the face value of the transaction, while a small fee may be charged for a â€Å"debit† or online debit transaction (although it is often absorbed by the retailer).Other differences are that online debit purchasers may opt to withdraw cash in addition to the amount of the debit purchase (if the merchant supports that functionality); also, from the merchant's standpoint, the merchant pays lower fees on online debit transaction as compared to â€Å"credit† (offline) debit transaction. Prepaid debit cards Prepaid debit cards, also called reloadable debit cards or reloadable prepaid cards, are often used for recurring payments. The payer loads funds to the cardholder's card account. Prepaid debit cards use either the offline debit system or the online debit system to access these funds. Particularly for companies with a large number of payment recipients abroad, prepaid debit cards allow the delivery of international payments without the delays and fees associated with international checks and bank transfers.Providers include Caxton FX prepaid cards, Escape prepaid cards, Travelex prepaid cards and TransCash prepaid Visa cards. Whereas, web-based services such as stock photography websites (istockphoto), outsourced services (oDesk),money transfer services (Western Union) and affiliate networks (MediaWhiz) have all started offering prepaid debit cards for their contributors/freelancers/vendors. Advantages of debit cards a. A consumer who is not credit worthy and may find it difficult or impossible to obtain a credit card can more easily obtain a debit card, allowing him/her to make plastic transactions. For example, legislation often prevents minors from taking out debt, which includes the use of a credit card, but not online debit card transactions. b.For most transactions, a check card can be used to avoid check writing altogether. Check cards debit funds from the user's account on the spot, thereby finalizing the transaction at the time of purchase, and bypassing the requirement to pay a credit card bill at a later date, or to write an insecure check containing the account holder's personal information. c. Like credit cards, debit cards are accepted by merchants with less identification and scrutiny than personal checks, thereby making transactions quicker and less intrusive. Unlike personal checks, merchants generally do not believe that a payment via a debit card may be later dishonored. d.Unlike a credit card, which charges higher fees and interest rates when a cash advance is obtained, a debit card may be used to obtain cash from an ATM or a PIN-based t ransaction at no extra charge, other than a foreign ATM fee. Disadvantages of debit cards a. Use of a debit card is not usually limited to the existing funds in the account to which it is linked, most banks allow a certain threshold over the available bank balance which can cause overdraft fees if the users transaction does not reflect available balance. b. Many banks are now charging over-limit fees or non-sufficient funds fees based upon pre-authorizations, and even attempted but refused transactions by the erchant (some of which may be unknown until later discovery by account holder). c. Many merchants mistakenly believe that amounts owed can be â€Å"taken† from a customer's account after a debit card (or number) has been presented, without agreement as to date, payee name, amount and currency, thus causing penalty fees for overdrafts, over-the-limit, amounts not available causing further rejections or overdrafts, and rejected transactions by some banks. d. In some countr ies debit cards offer lower levels of security protection than credit cards. [9] Theft of the users PIN using skimming devices can be accomplished much easier with a PIN input than with a signature-based credit transaction.However, theft of users' PIN codes using skimming devices can be equally easily accomplished with a debit transaction PIN input, as with a credit transaction PIN input, and theft using a signature-based credit transaction is equally easy as theft using a signature-based debit transaction. e. In many places, laws protect the consumer from fraud much less than with a credit card. While the holder of a credit card is legally responsible for only a minimal amount of a fraudulent transaction made with a credit card, which is often waived by the bank, the consumer may be held liable for hundreds of dollars, or even the entire value of fraudulent debit transactions. The consumer also has a shorter time (usually just two days) to report such fraud to the bank in order to be eligible for such a waiver with a debit card,[9] whereas with a credit card, this time may be up to 60 days.A thief who obtains or clones a debit card along with its PIN may be able to clean out the consumer's bank account, and the consumer will have no recourse. f. An automated teller machine (ATM), also known as a Cash Point, Cash Machine or sometimes a Hole in the Wall in British English, is a computerised telecommunications device that provides the clients of a financial institution with access to financial transactions in a public space without the need for a cashier, human clerk or bank teller. ATMs are known by various other names including automatic banking machine, cash machine, and various regional variants derived from trademarks on ATM systems held by particular banks. g.On most modern ATMs, the customer is identified by inserting a plastic ATM card with a magnetic stripe or a plastic smart card with a chip, that contains a unique card number and some security informa tion such as an expiration date or CVVC (CVV). Authentication is provided by the customer entering a personal identification number (PIN). h. Using an ATM, customers can access their bank accounts in order to make cash withdrawals,credit card cash advances, and check their account balances as well as purchase prepaid cellphone credit. If the currency being withdrawn from the ATM is different from that which the bank account is denominated in (e. g. Withdrawing Japanese Yen from a bank account containing US Dollars), the money will be converted at a wholesale exchange rate. Thus, ATMs often provide the best possible exchange rate for foreign travelers and are heavily used for this purpose as well Alternative uses Two NCR Personas 84 ATMs at a bank inJersey dispensing two types of pound sterling banknotes: Bank of England noteson the left, and States of Jersey notes on the right Although ATMs were originally developed as just cash dispensers, they have evolved to include many other ba nk-related functions. In some countries, especially those which benefit from a fully integrated cross-bank ATM network (e. g. Multibanco in Portugal), ATMs include many functions which are not directly related to the management of one's own bank account, such as: 1. Deposit currency recognition, acceptance, and recycling[61][62] 2. Paying routine bills, fees, and taxes (utilities, phone bills, social security, legal fees, taxes, etc. ) 3. Printing bank statements 4. Updating passbooks 5. Loading monetary value into stored value cards 6. Purchasing 7. Postage stamps. 8. Lottery tickets 9. Train tickets 10. Concert tickets 11. Movie tickets 12. Shopping mall gift certificates. 13. Games and promotional features 14. Fastloans 15. CRM at the ATM 16. Cheque Processing Module 17. Adding pre-paid cell phone / mobile phone credit.Increasingly banks are seeking to use the ATM as a sales device to deliver pre approved loans and targeted advertising using products such as ITM (the Intelligent Teller Machine) from Aptra Relate from NCR. ATMs can also act as an advertising channel for companies to advertise their own products or third-party products and services. In Canada, ATMs are called guichets automatiques in French and sometimes â€Å"Bank Machines† in English. The Interac shared cash network does not allow for the selling of goods from ATMs due to specific security requirements for PIN entry when buying goods. CIBC machines in Canada, are able to top-up the minutes on certain pay as you go phones. TELEPHONE BANKINGTelephone banking is a service provided by a financial institution, which allows its customers to perform transactions over the telephone. Most telephone banking services use an automated phone answering system with phone keypad response or voice recognition capability. To guarantee security, the customer must first authenticate through a numeric or verbal password or through security questions asked by a live representative (see below). With the ob vious exception of cash withdrawals and deposits, it offers virtually all the features of an automated teller machine: account balance information and list of latest transactions, electronic bill payments, funds transfers between a customer'saccounts, etc.Usually, customers can also speak to a live representative located in a call centre or a branch, although this feature is not always guaranteed to be offered 24/7. In addition to the self-service transactions listed earlier, telephone banking representatives are usually trained to do what was traditionally available only at the branch: loan applications, investment purchases and redemptions, chequebook orders, debit cardreplacements, change of address, etc. Banks which operate mostly or exclusively by telephone are known as phone banks. They also help modernise the user by using special technology. A credit card balance transfer is the transfer of the balance (the money) in a credit card account to an account held at another credit cardcompany.This process is actively encouraged by almost all credit card issuers as a means to attract new customers. Such an arrangement is attractive to the consumer because the new bank or credit card issuer will offer incentives such as a low interest or interest-free period, loyalty points or some such other device or combination of incentives. It is also attractive to the credit card company which uses this process to gain that new customer, and of course detrimental to the prior credit card company. An order of payments for every credit card specifies which balance(s) will be paid first. In nearly all cases payments apply to lowest-rate balances first – highest-rate last.Any balance under a teaser rate or fixed rate will be paid off sooner than any purchases or cash advances (which usually have the highest APR). By avoiding making purchases or taking cash advances altogether, the borrower can ensure they maintain the full benefits of the original balance transfer. Th e process is extremely fast and can be concluded within a matter of hours in some cases. Automated services exist to help facilitate such balance transfers. Other similar services do exist, but they may not be free to use. USES OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN BANKS Information Technology uses in Banking sector: – †¢Business banking †¢Retail banking †¢Banking technology †¢Banking environment †¢Card Market Business banking:BMI-Tec Knowledge has been publishing their annual report on Business Electronic Banking for the past 13 years. The report provides valuable year on year trend analysis for the major banks in South Africa. There are two parallel research objectives of the publication, to report on business banking trends and more specific information on each of the electronic banking products offered by the banks. Each year, the questionnaire used for the research process retains a generic core but incorporates changes that reflect the ever changing bank ing environment and the related impact of technology. The research is focused on business banking and specifically for companies that use an online or electronic banking product in their ay-to-day administration of their business banking administration. The key area of segmentation for this report is by the four major banks in South Africa: Absa, First National Bank, Nedbank and Standard Bank. Other areas of segmentation include size of company by employees and annual turnover and whether these companies are single banked or multi banked. Retail banking: Understanding the financial delivery channels BMI-T has conducted a recent benchmarking study to highlight external expertise and knowledge that is currently available in the ATM and SST environment. From this collated information, the client was able will be able to benchmark their own operations against these parameters.This study assisted the client in identifying and determining the current and potential best practices around AT Ms and to see where they are currently placed in this context. The scope of the research covered both local and international perspectives with the international perspective be segmented further by a split between Africa in comparison with the Rest of the World and South Africa Business Electronic Banking in the Small to Medium Business sector BMI-Tec Knowledge has been publishing their annual report on Business Electronic Banking in the corporate sector for the past 13 years. This new report, Business electronic banking in the SMB sector will be a parallel report in order to fully understand both markets; corporates and the SMB sector.There are two parallel research objectives of the publication, to report on business banking trends in the small to medium business sector and provide more specific information on each of the electronic banking products offered by the banks. The research is focused on business banking and specifically for companies that use an online or electronic ban king product in their day-to-day administration of their business banking administration. The key area of segmentation for this report is the four major banks in South Africa: Absa, First National Bank, Nedbank and Standard Bank. Other areas of segmentation include size of company by employees and annual turnover and whether these companies are single banked or multi banked. Multi-Channel Banking for Retail Financial Services 2005: BMI-T conducts research in the financial delivery channels to the retail market.This research covers the following issues: †¢The optimum balance between customer experience and lower costs, †¢International overview of financial delivery channels and the road to multi-channel integration, †¢Trends and market drivers and/or inhibitors that have driven the changes in global banks, †¢South African comparison of financial delivery channels and their related offerings from the banks, †¢Comparison of pricing and products and services tha t are available on each channel from each financial provider, †¢Number of customer points such as ATMs, †¢Number of banking branches and level of change and expected growth for the future. Research to test the future for High-value-low frequency channels or low-value-high frequency channels, current and future usage patterns of financial delivery channels from the South African retail customers (which channels, frequency, timing and for which transactions plus trend analysis with past annual data). Banking technology: South Africa is in many ways a global leader in the adoption and use of technology to improve competitiveness and de

The Strategy for Food Waste in Hk

Catalogue 1 Introduction †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 1 1. 1 The definition of food waste †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 1 1. 2 The sources/generators of food waste†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3 1. 2. 1 The sources of food waste in Hong Kong †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 1. 2. 2 The sources of food waste in oversea countries/regions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 6 1. 3 The situation in Hong Kong and oversea countries†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 1. 3. 1 The situation in Hong Kong†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 1. 3. 2 Food waste situation in oversea countries and regions †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 0 2 Finding †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 13 2. 1 Case study of HK †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 13 2. 1. 1 Minimization approaches for food waste in Hong Kong †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 14 2. 1. 2 Reuse/recycling approached of food waste in Hong Kon g †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7 2. 1. 3 Case of minimization and recycling of food waste in schools†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 24 2. 1. 4 Conclusion of strategies in HK †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 27 2. 2 Minimization and strategies in oversea countries †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 27 2. 2. 1 New Zealand†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 27 2. 2. Korea †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 28 2. 2. 3 Taiwan †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 32 2. 2. 4 Case of The East Bay Municipal Utility District†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 34 3 Critical Comparison†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 7 3. 1 Comparisons †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 37 3. 1. 1 Recycle/Reuse efficiency †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 37 3. 1. 2 Different campaigns and laws i n approaches to food wastes in different countries †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 39 3. 1. 3 Technologies applied in food waste†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 41 3. 1. Barriers in food waste recycle/reuse in Hong Kong†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 45 3. 2 Recommendations †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 47 4 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 50 References †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 1 1 Introduction 1. 1 The definition of food waste According to the project of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO, 2012), global food production will increase 70% by 2050 on the purpose of meeting the demands of the growing world population under current production and consumption. However, there are more than one third of the food produced today being wasted or lost. Food wasted or food loss may cause a range of issues not only on the environment but also on society and economy.Therefore, both developed countries and developing countries dedicate to avoid and reduce food waste. In general, food waste or food loss refers to the food that is discarded or lost uneaten. It occurs on all steps in the food chain (Figure 1). In developed countries, most food waste occurs at the consumption stage, while in developing or low-income countries, food is wasted during production. Different countries or regions have their own definitions of food waste, relating to food waste sources, the situation of countries, their population and so on. 1 Fig. 1. The steps where food waste occurs (Heta-Kaisa Koivupuro, 2011) ? United Nations Food waste is food loss which occurs at the retail and final consumption stages because of the behavior of throwing away of food by the retailers and consumers ( Gustavsson, J. , 2010). The loss includes biomass which is originally meant for human consumption but eventual ly used for some other purpose, such as fuel or animal feed. Meanwhile, food waste in United Nations only consists of reduction in edible food mass during the production, postharvest and processing stages instead of the inedible parts. Hong Kong The definition of food waste in Hong Kong still can not be unified, but food waste can be divided into two kinds at least. They are uncooked food and excess cooked food. The first kind of food waste may be easily dealt with compared with the second kind, because it usually includes the excess raw food such as fruit peel, kernel and eggshell, while the excess cooked food may mix up with oil, tissue and toothpick which affect the treatment methods for food waste. ? Australia 2In Australia, food waste means an unwanted raw or cooked food discarded during or after food preparation that is no longer fit for consumption or desirable (Nathalie Jean-Baptiste, 2009). It includes spoiled cooked food, excess cooked food, vegetables and fruits peelings, beverage, undesirable raw food and meat scraps. ? European Union In European Union, food waste is defined as any food substance, raw or cooked, which is discarded, or intended or required to be discarded. ? United States In United States, the food waste is defined by the United States Environmental Prottection Agency.The definition is uneaten food and food preparation wastes from residences and commercial establishments such as grocery stores, restaurants, and produce stands, institutional cafeterias and kitchens, and industrial sources like employee lunchrooms ( United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2006). Although the definitions of food waste vary in different countries and regions, the adverse impacts that food waste caused are so serious that more attention should be paid and mo re actions should be taken to avoid and treat it. . 2 The sources/generators of food waste Developed and developing countries actually waste about the same amount of food (670 and 630 million tonnes, respectively). The difference is at what level in the food supply chain the waste occurs. In developed countries, the highest volume of waste is at the retail and consumer level; in developing countries it occurs mostly at the post-harvest and processing level due to limitations in transit, storage and processing.Therefore, HK, as one of the most developed areas in the world, its food waste mainly comes from the retail and final consumption stages. 3 In order to reduce or avoid food waste effectively, the best way is to learn about the sources or generators of food waste. Because if we try best to avoid food waste or food loss from its sources, the other processes for reducing waste or loss during the following stages can be avoided, so that we can save money and resources. The sources of food waste of different countries and regions are illustrated below. . 2. 1 The sources of food waste in Hong Kong The sources of food wase in Hong Kong can be divided into two parts, major source and other sources. Table 1 shows the different sources and their components and characteristics. The major source is domestic or residential. According to the statistic of Friends of The Earth, domestic food waste accounts for 70% of all food waste produced in Hong Kong, with an amount of 2,300 tonnes per day (Friends of The Earth, 2009). The reasons for domestic food waste are various.For example, food is cheap or some people may hold the idea that when inviting others to dinner, they have to order more than enough so that they would not lose face. Table 1. 1 Sources of food waste in HK Amount of waste Source Major Components Characteristic (tons/day) Spoiled cooked food Supermarkets and Beverage stores Undes irable raw food Spoiled cooked food Excess cooked food Including avoidable and Residential/Domestic Vegetables & fruits peelings unavoidable Beverage Undes irable raw food 4 Most are Avoidable 90 2,300Meat scraps Excess cooked food Vegetables & fruits peelings Restaura nts and Beverage hotels Undes irable raw food Meat scraps Vegetables & fruits peelings Beverage Food industry Undes irable raw food Meat scraps Excess cooked food Beverage Schools Vegetables & fruits peelings Meat scraps Avoidable are edible or edible before spoilage/damage) Unavoidable are inedible food material like vegetable peels, bones, etc. unavoidable Including avoidable and 41 unavoidable Including avoidable and 900 unavoidable Including avoidable and 964 The major source is domestic or residential.According to the statistic of Friends of The Earth, domestic food waste accounts for 70% of all food waste produced in Hong Kong, with an amount of 2,300 tonnes per day (Friends of The Earth, 2009). The reasons for domestic food waste are various. For example, food is cheap or some people may hold the idea that when inviting others to dinner, they have to order more than enough so that they would not lose face. The other sources are supermarkets and stores, food industry and schoo ls. The food industry consists of food chains, Chinese restaurants, hotels, bakeries, supermarkets, markets, food producers and so on.The industry produces 900 tonnes of food waste per day (Friends of The Earth, 2009). And schools generate 15,000 tonnes of food waste per year. Meanwhile, food waste in Hong Kong can be separated into two kinds at source, they are 5 non-recyclable kind which includes glasses, tinfoil, cling film, carton boxes, plastic bottles, aluminum cans and tin cans, and recyclable kind, including meat, bones, bread, rice and noodles, vegetable, fruit and egg shells (Figure 2). Fig. 1. 2 Separation of food waste at source (EPD, 2011) 1. 2. 2 The sources of food waste in oversea countries/regionsIn Australia, the food waste mainly comes from household or residential with an amount of about 3 million tonnes per year. Approximately 20% of food will b e thrown away after its purchase in Australia In European Union, food waste are from households, supermarkets, restaur ants and the food supply chain. Over 50% of edible and healthy food in EU is wasted each year and the amount is 89 million tonnes per year. 6 Fig. 1. 3 Sources of food waste fir cereals, by region (Agree, 2011) Unlike the developed countries, food waste in developing countries is generated at lower levels.Figure 3 further identified the source level of food waste. From it, we can see that in the developed countries like Europe and North America, about 60% of the food waste in cereal grain products occurs at consumption stage. Conversely, in the developing regions, like South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, more than 60% of food waste 1. 3 The situation in Hong Kong and oversea countries 1. 3. 1 The situation in Hong Kong According to the statistic of EPD, in Hong Kong, about 3,584 tonnes food waste are produced everyday, accounting for a third of all solid waste in Hong Kong.One third of them originates from 7 commercial and industry (C&I) sector, and the remaining comes from household s. So households produce larger amount of food waste in Hong Kong. The volume of food waste from C&I sectors has increases more than double in the last decade, from 400 tonnes in 2002 to 1,056 tonnes in 2011 (Figure 4). Also, we can see from Fig. 2 that supermarket dispose 29 tonnes edible food everyday. Fig. 1. 4 Basic food waste situation in HK (EPD, 2012) Figure 5 futher illustrates a serious issue in Hong Kong.About 3,200 tonnes of food are sent to landfill every day, which equals to the capacity of 126 double buses, and the cost for deal with food waste is more than 2 million per day. What‘s more, if the rate continues to increase, the landfills in Hong Kong could reach capacity in 2013. Therefore, the situation of food waste in Hong Kong is not satisfied and the loads of Hong Kong‘s landfill are too heavy. Every person in Hong Kong should realize this sever situation and try best to minimize food waste in daily life. 8 Fig. 1. The situation of food waste in Hong Ko ng (Hong Kong Stories, 2011) General trend of food waste in Hong Kong is illustrated in Figure 6. In Figure 6, Line 1 represented commercial and industrial food waste, Line 2 represented domestic food waste and Line 3 represented municipal solid waste. From the figure below, we can conclude that in Hong Kong, the volume of domestic food waste has been reduced in the past 10 years, while the commercial and industrial food waste has kept going up significantly and accounted for 30% of municipal solid waste in 2009, which is 20% more than that in 1999.The rising rate is really a serious problem and more attention should be paid in order to reduce food waste and the stress of landfill. 1 2 3 Fig. 1. 6 Volume of municipal solid waste in Hong Kong (FoE, 2010) 9 The reasons why the amount of food waste is pretty large and why it becomes a severe issue are listed below: ? Many diners have more food on the plate than they can eat. According to Greeners Action‘s survey: only 13 percent of responders can finish everything in their plates and about 87 percent of them always left some food behind, 44 percent of these respondents say that they often left over 30 percent or more.Especially, at buffets and all- you-can-eat sushi or hot pot restaurants, patrons can be tempted to pile too much on their plates. ? Disposing is cheaper than using or re- using. For example, the unsold vegetable and fruit will be dumped everyday even some of them are still fresh in the next day, because the labour cost of picking is higher than the benefit of selling. 1. 3. 2 Food waste situation in oversea countries and regions ? Global Fig. 1. 7 Global food waste (PWC, 2012) 10In Global, just like the percentage of food waste in Hong Kong, one third of the food is wasted or discarded. Food waste in industrialized countries is as high as in developing countries, but in developing countries more than 40% of the food losses occur at post harvest and processing levels, while in industrialized co untries, more than 40% of the food losses occur at retail and consumer levels.. Figure 8 shows that the per capita food loss in Europe and North-America is 280-300 kg/year.In sub-Saharan Africa and South/Southeast Asia it is 120-170 kg/year. The total per capita production of edible parts of food for human consumption is, in Europe and North-America, about 900 kg/year and, in sub-Saharan Africa and South/Southeast Asia, 460 kg/year (Jenny Gustavsson, 2011). Fig. 1. 8 Food waste in different regions (Jenny Gustavsson, 2011) ? Korea Korea has a very short history (less than 10 years) for food waste recycling by its own way. In Korea, the percentage of food waste which is separately collected is over 80%.Although the treatment techniques are advanced and over 80% of collected food waste is carrying to feedstuff and compost, the demand of the products is low in the whole society and the product situation is difficult. Nowadays , Korea has reconsidered its recycling system to construct a new and sustainable structure. ? Taiwan 11 The food waste recycling technology in Taiwan is also relatively mature with an eight-year history. Now Taiwan recycles an amount of food waste equivalent to the volume of waste processed daily in two 900-tonne incineration plants.The food waste which accounts for 75% of total food waste collected is converted into pig feed and 24% food waste is composted. The rest 1% is treated for other uses. ? U. S. In the U. S. , more than 34 million tonnes of food waste was generated in 2010 (U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). Food makes up the largest percentage of waste going into municipal landfills and combusted for energy recovery in the U. S. (Fig. 9). Fig. 1. 9 Food waste in the U. S. (U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2012) ? AustraliaIn Australia, the amount of food waste discarded per year is about 3 million tonnes and 95% of compostable items are food waste (Australia Institute, 2005). The food waste production increased by 0. 5kg/w in 2007 compared to that in 2004 (3. 7kg/w). Sydney, the city with the larest population in 12 Australia, generates a high content of food waste in their general bins with close to 50%. Another study is found to analyze the cost of food waste in Australia. Australia wastes more than $5. 2 billion in food a year (Penny Pryor, 2011).This is quite a lot of money and it suggests that the situation of food waste in Australia is also serious. The study concludes that t he biggest and most successful motivator to reducing food waste in Australia is saving money. Fig. 1. 10 Cost of food waste in Australia (Penny Pryor, 2011) ? Europe Excluding agricultural food waste and fish discards, about 90 million tonnes of food is wasted annually or 180 kg per capita per year in Europe. It has been projected that if no action is taken, the amount of food waste in Europe will reach 126 milling tonnes by 2020. 2 Finding 2. 1 Case study of HK 13 2. 1. Minimization approaches for food waste in Ho ng Kong There are many approaches are proposed for the minimization of Food waste in Hong Kong. But most of them are proposed by voluntary organization. And a general guideline for reduction and management of food waste for food service institutions are proposed by Greener Action: Fig 2. 1 The guideline for food waste reduction and management from Greener Action And other approaches or organizations for reduction of food waste include: Food Bank Feeding Hong Kong is the only food bank in Hong Kong dedicated to redistributing surplus food to people in need.By providing a bridge between the food industry and the hungry of Hong Kong, they provide a solution that simultaneously cuts food waste and feeds those most in need. Fig 2. 2 The mission of Feeding Hong Kong from the website of Feed Hong Kong 14 Food Angel Besides, Food Angel is a food rescue and assistant program which help to reduce the generation of food waste in Hong Kong. They connect food producers and charitable organizatio ns in local communities to ensure efficient food provision to the underprivileged. Food Recycling Sche me Food Recycling Scheme is a pilot food collection program operated by CTU Education Foundation Ltd.The scheme is aim to collect and process unsold fresh food from market and make delicious vegetarian lunch which offers to unemployed trainees in training centre at lower price. It can save over 30,000 kg of wasted food yearly. Foodlink Foundation Limited is a registered non-profit organization which is aim to fight hunger and poverty by minimizing food wastage. The organization collects surplus and donated food from various hotels and F&B outlets and delivers it to shelters and to the needy, thereby generating a sustainable food-recycling system. The Foodlink operation is as follows: Fig 2. 3 The Foodlink operation from FoodlinkThe voluntary organizations also launched several activities to enhance public awareness of reduction of food waste, like the ? Save Food Day on Wednesday? proposed by Greeners Action and ? Order Less Waste Less? proposed by Friends of the Earth. 15 Fig 2. 4 The poster of Save Food Day on Wednesday from Save Greeners Action Fig 2. 5 The photo from the website of Friends of the Earth Implementation: These actions are helpful to reduce the generation of food waste, but there is no certain figure of the reduction amount of food waste by these actions, and without the help of government, the achievement is limited. 16 2. . 2 Reuse/recycling approached of food waste in Hong Kong Kowloon Bay Pilot Composting Plant To gather experience and information on collection of source separated food waste and the application of biological technology to recycle food waste in Hong Kong, the Environmental Protection Department developed the Pilot Composting Plant (KBPCP) at the Kowloon Bay Waste Recycling Centre (KBWRC) in mid-2008. Implementation: The total treatment capacity of the KBPCP is 500 tonnes of food waste feedstock per year and about 100 tonne s of compost product will be produced. Fig 2. 6 Treatment Process of KBPCP from website of EPDFood Waste Recycling Partnership Scheme EPD launched the ? ‘Food Waste Recycling Partnership Scheme‘‘ together with commercial & industrial (C&I) sectors in 2009 to promote good food waste management practice and to gain experience on food waste source separation and recycling. Implementation: During the operation of the ? Food Waste Recycling Partnership Scheme‘, 17 participants practised food waste source separation and placed the separated food waste in the designated collection bins provided by EPD at the assigned collection points for collectio n by EPD to the KBPCP for recycling.EPD was responsible for cleaning the collection bins. At present, the participants of the scheme already increase to 70. Fig 2. 7 Poster of Food Waste Recycling Partnership Scheme from website of EPD Organic Waste Treatment Facilities The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has de cided to develop the Organic Waste Treatment Facilities (OWTF) which will be developed in two phase. The OWTF will adopt biological technologies – composting and anaerobic digestion to stabilize the organic waste and turn it into compost and biogas for recovery.The biogas produced in each phase of the OWTF could be used as renewable energy. A site search to locate suitable sites for the OWTF was completed. The proposed sites for the first phase and second phase of the OWTF are located at Siu Ho Wan of North Lantau and Shaling at North District respectively. 18 Fig 2. 8 Artist's Impression of the Organic Waste Treatment Facilities from website of EPD Implementation: The total daily treatment capacity of OWTF is 400-500 tonnes of organic waste per day, and about 28 million kWh of surplus electricity can be supplied to the power grid per year.The first phase of the OWTF may be accomplished in 2 or 3 years, it can treat 200 tonnes of organic waste (mostly food waste) per day. 19 Fig 2. 9 The process of anaerobic digestion from website of EPD Electrical Composter Some of the leftovers in commercial & industrial sectors are now eliminated in situ by electrical composter proposed by EPD. Food waste is putted into a mechanical digester – through fermentation and other processes to turn most of it into water and carbon dioxide within one day. And the residue will be sent to landfill.Implementation: The composter can reduce the volume of food waste sent to landfill in some extent, but there is not certain data for the reduction volume as the composter can be purchased from private producer. 20 Fig 2. 10 The electrical composter—Gomixer from Hong Kong chocking on food waste Food Waste Recycling Projects in Housing Estates Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF) has allocated $50 million as subsidy and has launched a funding project, ? Food Waste Recycling Projects in Housing Estates? , to encourage the separated collection and recycling of food waste from households in July 2011.Implementation: 11 estates were given funding support in the first phase with a total allocation of about $9 million. The participating estates have received subsidies to undertake on-site treatment of source separated food waste and to encourage households to reduce food waste. And it is estimated that about 45 additional estates could be covered in the second phase. Besides, EPD has also commissioned the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) to operate a help-desk service for the potential housing estate applicants and those participating food waste separation, collection and recycling Government departments.The services include: ? assisting in identification of a suitable site for installing the food waste treatment facility within the housing estate prior to formal application; ? providing professional and technical advices to potential applicants or participating government departments during planning and, implementation stages; and ? conducting ev aluation of performance, effectiveness and outcomes. 21 Fig 2. 11 The poster of Food Waste Recycling Projects in Housing Estates from website of help-desk service for food waste recycling project in housing estateFood waste recycling technology-Bokashi Greeners Action introduced the food waste recycling technology-Bokashi from New Zealand in 2010, this technology can help people dispose their food waste at home. Implementation: More than 170 households has bought this food waste recycling system, and some pilot projects have been launched in schools and residential area in these two years. 22 Fig 2. 12 The poster of Bokashi from website of Greeners Action Individual recycling company Green Idea is a recycling company in Yeun Long which collects used school lunch boxes and separates and recycles both the food waste and plastic container.Generally, they can recycle about 800 thousands of school lunch boxes every day, which can reduce the food waste in some extent. Fig 2. 13 The headin g from we bsite of Green Idea Kowloon Biotechnology Ltd is a recycling company using the food waste to produce feedstuff. It can recycle about 50 tons every day to produce different kind of feedstuff. Hong Kong Organic Waste Recycling Center is a company which can offer a series of recycling service for organic waste. They use the advanced technology combing the experiences from local expert and oversea countries to provide a help in recycling of food waste in Hong Kong. 23 Fig 2. 4 The heading from website of HKOWRC 2. 1. 3 Case of minimization and recycling of food waste in schools 2. 1. 3. 1 The situation of food waste in schools Solid waste is divided into some 60 categories at present, of which the ? dining wares made of plastic/poly- foam? covers basically all types of disposable food and drink containers and cutlery. In 2007, the volume of such waste we disposed of amounted to about 199 tonnes per day. Disposable food containers are usually made of non-degradable materials th at will stay in earth forever and pollute the environment, which increases the difficulty of recycling of food waste. . 1. 3. 2 The objective of Green Lunch scheme To reduce the generation of food waste and protect our environment, schools can help by drawing up and adopting a suitable green lunch policy based on the principle of ? Reduc ing Pollution and Minimizing Wastage?. 2. 1. 3. 3 Analysis of meal arrangement in schools Meal arrangements in schools can be mainly divided into two types by the containers they used: reusable or disposable containers. Reusable containers mean those are robust and durable enough for repeated washing and reuse.Meals served in reusable containers may be portioned either on-site or off-site, namely, Central/On-Site Portioning and Off-site Portioning. Central/On-Site Portioning Cooked food is delivered by lunch suppliers to schools in bulk, and then re- heated and portioned in-situ for distribution to students. 24 Fig 2. 15 Central/On-Site Portioning f rom Green Lunch Guideline Off-Site Portioning Cooked food is prepared and portioned at the kitchens of lunch suppliers and delivered to schools in lunch boxes according to the amount ordered. Fig 2. 16 Off-Site Portioning from Green Lunch Guideline . 1. 3. 4 Proposal for central/on-site portioning in schools The central/on-site portioning is better than off-site portioning in many aspects. Therefore, schools are proposed to applied central/on-site portioning in order to reduce pollution and minimize wastage. The benefits of central/on-site portioning in schools include: 25 ? All dining wares used including trays, dishes, bowls, chopsticks, knives and forks, etc. are washable and reusable. Basically, no disposable containers and cutlery are used, which increases the potential of recycling of food waste.The amount of food portioned can be flexibly adjusted on request by students, which can reduce the potential of generation of left over by student. And the volume of lunch supplied can be adjusted according to the leftover generated, which reduce the food waste and wastage considerably. According to teachers and students, eating at canteens is much more joyful and exciting than in classrooms, providing a unique social activity for students. ? ? Fig 2. 17 Photo from Green Lunch Guideline 2. 1. 3. 5 Implementation—an example of school of central/on-site portioning St.Edward‘s Catholic Primary School is a successful example applying central/on-site portioning. The school spent almost a year for the arrangement of central/on-site portioning; the preparation works include the selection of proper place for central/on-site portioning and the lunch supplier, and communication with the student‘s parents. After the application of central/on-site portioning, the volume of food waste has been reduced and most of them can be recycled. Besides, the food waste separation and collection processes enhance the environmental awareness of students, and the 26 ispo sable lunchbox is not used for lunch anymore. Fig 2. 18 The situation of central/on-site portioning in St. Edward’s Catholic Primary School from Green Lunch Guideline 2. 1. 4 Conclusion of strategies in HK The EPD has proposed several schemes for the reuse or recycling of food waste in recent years, including strategies of collection and recycling facilities. Therefore, we may forecast that the increasing volume of food waste will be turn into useful product or renewable energy by effective separation.But for the strategy of minimization of food waste, most of them are proposed by voluntary organization without the governmental help. 2. 2 Minimization and strategies in oversea countries 2. 2. 1 New Zealand The government supports and subsidizes households to reuse/recycle the food waste on-site. Non-edible food waste is regularly composted either through a collection service, with home composting or with a worm farm. A survey of households in 2007showed that 79% shop in a way to prevent food wastage, 63% carry out home composting and 10% have a worm farm. And one 27 f the ways to prevent food wastage for supermarkets and grocery stores is donating the food to the voluntary organizations, like Food not Bombs which uses their discarded food to feed people at film nights and markets. Kai to Compost is a food waste collection scheme for restaurants and businesses. The scheme collects food waste from restaurants and takes it to the Living Earth plant at the Southern Landfill, where the material is mixed with green waste and used to produce compost. It was initially a trial scheme with government funding but is now a user pays scheme involving 50 businesses.Up until the end of 2006, the Council had collected 456 tonnes of food waste. Fig 2. 19 Kai to Compost collection truck 2. 2. 2 Korea Korea government has forbidden direct landfill of the food wastes in 2005 and has paid much effort to build up the collection system and reuse/recycling facilities for food waste: a. The reuse/recycling methods of food waste: Separated collection method of food wastes at source: 28 b. Dry Feedstuff Production: c. Wet Feedstuff Production: 29 d. Compost: e. Anaerobic Digestion Facility: 30 Besides, Separated disposal of food waste is now legally mandatory.The waste collectors can refuse to collect the food trash or fine the dumper if the trash was not separated well. Through this comprehensive food wastes reduction plan and financial support for installing food wastes recycling facility, the recycling rate of food waste is already up to 94% in 2005, from 45. 1% in 2002. And in Seoul, the collecting rate of food waste is up to 100% in 2008. For the reduction of food waste, Seoul is about to start a trial run of large automatic receptacles that weigh the amount of food refuse deposited into them by each household and charges accordingly.Fig 2. 20 â€Å"Pay-by-volume† clean Q system for food waste 31 And the dumping of waste water generated by the p rocessing of leftover food into the sea will be banned from 2013, according to the Ministry of Land, Transport, and Maritime affairs. The Ministry of Environment started to focus on the biogas plant which can turn the waste water into clean fuel in recent years. 2. 2. 3 Taiwan Since the fiscal year 2001, the EPA has been subsidizing the local town, county and city governments to establish their kitchen waste collection and recycling programs.In 2007, the kitchen waste recycling program has been incorporated into EPA's â€Å"2007-2012 Public Development Program-General Waste Resource Recycling Promotion Program†, in order to achieve proper treatment of all collected kitchen waste and to complement the ? Zero Waste? policy. The schemes for reuse or recycling of food waste include: [1] Education and Promotion of Kitchen Waste Recycling Program Promote â€Å"Green Eating Habits – Kitchen Waste Reduction Campaign†; Train kitchen waste recycling education seed instruc tors, and conduct on-the-job training for implementation organization's responsible personnel; ? ? ?Work with schools, communities and environmental groups to conduct education, promotion, demonstration and training activities; ? Prepare promotional brochures and handbooks to teach residents how to conduct kitchen waste sorting, collection and reuse; ? ? Promote kitchen waste recycling on the radio, cable TV and news media; Establish kitchen waste recycling webpages on central, county and city governments' websites. [2] Establish Kitchen Waste Collection and Transportation System ? Implement kitchen waste collection and transportation from households, schools, military bases and correctional facilities; 32 ?Modifications or purchases of garbage trucks for use in kitchen waste recycling, and purchases of kitchen waste recycling buckets; ? ? Design collection zones, routes, transportation modes, and develop collection goals; Establish temporary storage sites for collected kitchen wast e, purchase transfer mac hinery and cleaning equipment; ? Organize demonstration of a better-performing local government program, improve collection system and man-power input. [3] Establish modes of kitchen waste reuse ? Reuse of kitchen waste as pig feed after high temperature sterilization, or use as organic fertilizer after composting; Inspect pig farms permitted to use recycled kitchen waste as feed to ensure proper feed sterilization and pig immunization; ? Establish regional kitchen waste reuse factories/sites, such as high temperature sterilization facilities, composting sites, anaerobic digesters etc. ; ? ? Transport kitchen waste to manure and compost manufacturers to produce organic fertilizers; Enhance the quality and technologies of the compost produced by local governments‘ composting plants; ? Provide incentive assistance and subsidies to private sector to encourage establishment of kitchen waste recycling and reuse facilities. 4] Develop markets for recycled ki tchen waste products ? ? ? Establish long-term quality and quantity data for recycled kitchen waste; Develop and evaluate safety inspection and tests for kitchen waste recycling and reuse products; Develop and evaluate other feasible kitchen waste reuse options, such as turning into feedstuff or adopt anaerobic fermentation; ? Work with Council of Agriculture and other local governments' agriculture competent authorities or associations to jointly promote kitchen waste reuse means. 33 Fig 2. 21 Compost Plant in TaiwanBesides, in order to continue the kitchen waste recycling efforts and assist the local governments in establishing diversified kitchen waste reuse system, the following kitchen waste daily collection and reuse goals have been set between 2007 and 2012: Table 2. 1 kitchen waste daily collection and reuse goals Implementation: At present, all 319 local town and township governments nationwide are implementing the kitchen waste recycling program. Through the combined effor ts of EPA and local governments, the recycling rate of food waste is up to 36% in 2008 and 1977 tonnes of kitchen waste in Taiwan is recycled every day in 2009.Of the methods used to treat food waste, about 75% undergoes steam treatment to make pig feed, while 24% enters composting systems and 1% undergoes other processes, like incineration. 2. 2. 4 Case of The East Bay Municipal Utility District 34 The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) of the San Francisco Bay Area has done a great job in converting food waste to methane gas and later to energy. The East Bay Municipal Utility District‘s food waste energy project turns magnitude of food waste to energy through completely natural process. The eco friendly method helps people convert their food waste to methane gas.EMBUD utilize the natural process like the Muckbuster to turn the raw food waste to clean energy. Muckbuster is an anaerobic digester from a green firm called the SeaB and turns deserted food items into clea n energy. The container like system has the capability to recycle half a ton of food waste to generate the amount of energy required to run 150 computers. Muckbuster is outfitted with advanced technologies to derive methane from food waste through a biological process. The methane is later flowed through a heat and power system to produce electricity. Fig 2. 22 Muckbuster Anaerobic Digester from EcofriendBesides, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) collects and carries the pumpkin waste into its plants to produce energy. Every year in the U. S. , after the Halloween, heaps of pumpkins will move to the landfalls. This food waste is also recycled in EBMUD. The bacteria breakdown of the pumpkin waste along with other food waste will produce methane gases, which can be used to produce energy. 35 Fig 2. 23 Pumpkin Power from Ecofriend The EBMUD was honored in 2007 with a grant of $50,000 by the EPA to encourage it develop new methods for digesting food waste to produce methan e gas.The power produced by the EBMUD is used to run the regional waste water treatment plant. Fig 2. 24 EBMUD’s example of turning waste into energy from Ecofriend 36 3 Critical Comparison 3. 1 Comparisons Mountains of food waste are a growing problem in many affluent countries. In Hong Kong, where people love to eat out, leftover food takes up much of the limited space in city landfills. So the judgement for Hong Kong recycle/reuse efficiency, technologies applied and strategies or policies conducted with overseas countries is very significant. 3. 1. Recycle/Reuse efficiency In fact, the data of food wastes generation per person per year in different countries are different. In New Zealand, about 258,886 tonnes of food waste goes to landfill each year. That works out to be 64kg per person per year. And that's just in New Zealand. At the meanwhile, it‘s about 70kg per person per year of food waste in UK. And the US gets a number of approximately 82kg per person per yea r dumped into the landfill. In addition, there are several data about food waste by different country shown in Figure 3. 1. Figure 3. Food waste in different countries (kg/cap/year) In consideration of the population in HK, we can calculate the food wastes per person per year. According to the Census and Statistics Department in HK, the population of HK is 7,136,300 by 37 Mid-2012. By the investigation of EPD website, there is approximately 3,584 tonnes food waste produced in Hong Kong every day. And 3200 tonnes of food among it is sent to landfill each day. So 3584tonnes ? 1000kg /tonnes 7136300 3584tonnes ? 1000kg /tonnes 7136300 3200tonnes ? 1000kg /tonnes 7136300 3200tonnes ? 1000kg /tonnes 7136300 ? 365 = 197kg person /year, = 0. 0kg person /day of food waste generation and ? 365 = 164kg person /year , = 0. 45kg person /day of food waste dumped into landfill would be the results. From the comparison of the data above, we can conclude that HK is one of the largest generation are as of food waste in the world and that the most important and efficient way is reducing the food waste generation rather than recycling and reusing approaches which are also indispensable. We assume that the residuals are totally recycled or reused in a sustainable way. The recycle/reuse efficiency would be like that: 3584 ? 200 ? 100% = 11% 3584 That is to say the recycle/reuse efficiency of food waste in HK is 11% at most. Table 3. 1 Food waste recycling rates in developed Asian nations. Country Korea (2005) Japan (2007) Taiwan (2008) Singapore (2008) Annual Food Waste Generated (ton) Daily Food Waste Generated 4,755,220 20,000,000 1,899,379 568,000 13,028 54,795 5,190 1,556 38 (ton/d) Annual Food waste recycled (ton) Daily Food waste recycled (ton/d) Food waste recycling rate, % Population (million) Daily Food Waste Generated per capita(kg/d/ca) Daily Food Waste Recycled per capita(kg/d/ca) 0. 6 0. 09 0. 08 0. 04 0. 27 0. 43 0. 23 0. 31 48 127 23 5 94 20 36 12 12,246 10,956 1,889 186 4,469,907 4,000,000 691374 68000 Whereas, Table 3. 1 generally illustrates the food waste recycling rates in developed Asian nations. With the observation of this figure and the assumed recycle/reuse efficiency in Hong Kong, we can get the idea that the combination of strategies implemented and the technologies applied processes better in a country order: HK, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea. 3. 1. Different campaigns and laws in approaches to food wastes in different countries 39 3. 1. 2. 1 Korea 1994: Start composting demonstration projects in 12 cities. 1995: Korean government established the ? Committee for the Management of Food Waste‘ 1996: Kyonggi Province declares ? War against food waste? 1999: Food waste collection in Suwon City (Kyonggi Province) 2002: Establish a voluntary agreement for food waste reduction ( in conjunction with FIFA world cup) 2005: Direct land- filling of food waste has been banned 2006: 2,520 tons of livestock and food waste per day was dumped into the ocean 3. 1. 2. 2 Japan 2001: Food waste recycling law 2004: Regional food waste composting in Sendai 2006: Recycling of Organic Waste in Aya Town – reached 20%, food-related business has to submit an annual report to report how the food waste is treated 2007: Revised of Food waste recycling law Co. 2007: 7-11 parent company + Agri Gaia System turn food waste into animal feedstock 3. 1. 2. Taiwan 2001: EPA starts food waste recycling in government departments 2003: Taipei starts food waste recycling policy 2006: Whole Taiwan (309 towns and townships) carried out food waste collection and recycling 2007: 2007-2012 Public Development Program-General Waste Resource Recycling Promotion Program 3. 1. 2. 4 Singapore 2003: Food from the Heart started the Bread distribution Programme 2007: IUT + NEA + Veolia collect food waste from markets 3. 1. 2. 5 Hong Kong 40 2009: Food Waste Recycling Partnership Scheme 2011: Food Waste Recycling Projects in Housing EstatesFrom th e campaigns and laws mentioned above, we can deduce that Korea, Japan and Taiwan start to recycle or reuse the food waste in 1995, 2001, 2001 respectively. They start to recycle and reuse the food wastes much earlier than that in Hong Kong although there is a tremendous amount of food waste generating every day. Just in 2005, Direct land-filling of food waste was already banned, however, up to now, there is still a large amount of food waste sent to the landfill for dumping. Actually, a few years ago, the approach in compost was already conducted in Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Whereas, Hong Kong uses this technology just in recent years. . 1. 3 Technologies applied in food waste Nowadays most of collected food waste has been recycled to compost and animal feedstuff. A very small part is used in anaerobic digestion. Table 3. 2. Different technologies used in different nations Country Feedstock Composting Anaerobic digestion Others Korea(2005) Japan(2007) Taiwan(2007) Singapore(2008) 54. 4% 50. 0% 77. 6% 75. 5% 29. 7% 45. 0% 21. 8% 2. 4% 1. 4% 5. 0% N. A. 22. 0% 14. 4% N. A. 0. 6% 0. 1% Same situation appears in Korea, Japan and Taiwan that they recycle food waste to feed the livestock at first step and to compost secondly.But the technologies applied in Singapore may be a little different that the food waste is delivered to feed livestock and then delivered to the anaerobic lagoon. The three different technologies in recycling or reusing the food waste are judged by the following illustrations. 41 3. 1. 3. 1 Food waste composting Composting is one means of reducing the problems associated with landfills, incinerators, and other food waste disposal methods. There are as many different ways to compost as there are people who compost! There are four basic ingredients needed to compost:Oxygen, Water, Carbon (â€Å"Brown material such as wood chips, brown leaves, or shredded newspaper), and Nitrogen (â€Å"Green† wet waste such as grass clippings, or fruit and vegetable scraps from your kitchen). If you have these ingredients, you can compost at your home, office, or school. Figure 3. 2 shows how food waste flows in a composting way. Figure 3. 2 Food waste flowchart in composting way from http://www. wastereduction. unc. edu/CampusRecycling/FoodWasteComposting. aspx For food wastes compost, there are some benefits and deficiencies in it. Benefits of Compost 42 ? ? Enriches soil, helping retain moisture and suppress plant diseases and pests. Reduces the need for chemical fertilizers. Encourages the production of beneficial bacteria and fungi that break down organic matter to create humus, a rich nutrient-filled material. ? ? Reduces methane emissions from landfills and lowers your carbon footprint. Compost is a marketable product Besides the illustration above, households, businesses and institutions may save money by composting items such as food scraps while sending less waste to landfills and incinerators.In addition, you can even get t he payback from selling compost. Deficiency of Compost: If food waste is not incorporated into the soil it loses nitrogen to the atmosphere and may retain less nitrogen than the compost. Composting requires a time commitment to properly manage the windrows to produce quality compost. Specialized windrow turners may be required, but they can come at with a high price tag. The composting site and storage for finished product can use a considerable area of land. Money and time may be spent advertising, packaging, and managing the business. 3. 1. 3. 2 Feed animalsThe feeding of food waste or garbage to swine and other livestock animals is a common practice throughout the world and is often concentrated around metropolitan centers. Food plate waste (formerly referred to as garbage) may be fed to other livestock species, but has most often been used as a source of feed for swine. High disposal costs and fees encourage the feeding of food/plate waste. The advantages in applying this measur e are listed below: a) It can eliminate a large amount of food waste. 43 b) It can save the feeding cost by replacing the fodder. c) Elevate the rates of using resources . 1. 3. 3 Anaerobic digestion If 50 percent of the food waste generated each year in the U. S. was anaerobically digested, enough electricity would be generated to power 2. 5 million homes for a year. With the passing of Halloween, millions of pounds of pumpkins have turned from seasona l decorations to trash destined for compost heaps or landfills. The story is a little different in Oakland, California. Thanks to the pioneering work of the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), discarded pumpkins and other food waste are used as a source of renewable electricity. How is that possible?First, waste haulers gather post-consumer food waste and deliver it to EBMUD‘s anaerobic digesters. Inside these giant tanks, bacteria break down the food waste and release methane gas as a byproduct. EBMUD captures this ga s and uses it to generate electricity in onsite generators. A ton of food waste provides about 367 m3 of gas, and digesting 100 tons of food wastes five days a week can generate enough electricity to power 1,000 homes. Once the food waste has been digested, the remaining solids make an excellent natural fertilizer, so they can be used to get next year‘s pumpkin crop started.Figure 2. 9 shows how it works. Figure 3. 4. shows how the food waste is recycled or reused in a anaerobic digested way. Firstly, the food waste from industrial, commercial and schools will be collected. And then it will be sent into Centralized Anaerobic Digestion. After the anaerobic digestion for food waste, it will be converted into two valuable products, renewable ener gy and fertilizer, which is used to supply electric power and indirectly reduce the GHGs from coal burning in the thermal power plant and amend soil respectively. 44 Figure 3. 4 Food waste flowchart in anaerobic digestion way.The merits for anaerobic digestion are listed below: a) Generated biogas can be recycled and utilized. It can be used directly as a fuel or for biogas power generation. b) c) Digestion residues (ie, residual sludge) can be used as primary organic fertilizer raw materials. The concentrated sludge dewatering filtrate can be used as plant fertilizer or aquaculture utilization. d) e) f) The odor is easy to control and hard to escape. Compared with the compost product, organics can be more completely and equally composted. The treatment effect is stable and suitable for engineering applications. 3. . 4 Barrie rs in food waste recycle/reuse in Hong Kong There is a large capacity of food waste generation in Hong Kong as above mentioned. Only a certain small part is disposed in a Green way and the other part is generally dumped into the landfill. This will not only have an adverse effect on our environment but also cause the resources waste. Why 45 does the situation in HK act like this? First of all, the amount of food waste generation in HK is larger and larger while EPD is only concentrating in the technologies of food waste recycle/reuse rather than reducing food wastes from the sources.The lack of education in food wastes may be the second reason. Hong Kong is a multi-cultural city with numerous restaurants. However, the public lacks the concept of saving food. In neighbouring countries like Korea and Taiwan, the average food waste amount per person is 20-30% less. Thirdly, the number of effective policies in Hong Kong introduced to the food waste manage ment is lower than some other countries. A project in Taiwan called ? 2007-2012 Public Development Program-General Waste Resource Recycling Promotion Program? was conducted to achieve proper treatment of all collected food waste and to complement the ?Zero Waste? policy. In Guangzhou, ? Interests bind system? ( ) was introduced that residents who were taking an active part in the garbage classification, organizers and sanit ation workers would earn a certain amount of money according to the benefits of recycled resources. So it really makes a connection between households and garbage classification and encourages people to be more motivated in protecting our environment. Fourthly, the recent sharp increase of premium and rent are dragging the development o f recycled food wastes. In 2001, EPD promotes a programme called Environment and Conservation Fund ?Community Waste Recovery Projects? which is attracted by lots of communities to participate. However, the sharp cost in maintaining the projects almost results in the end of the plans lifetime. Fifthly, the technologies in recycling and reusing the food wastes are not developed very well and many programmes are just on the way. In Japan, TM Corporation invented ERS (Environmental Recycling System) that is a High-Speed Composting (Fermentation & Drying) System which can convert a batch of organic matter or waste into value-added products such as fertili zer or animal feed within 2-24 hours.While in Hong Kong, it usually takes half a month in converting the food wastes 46 to composts. In Sweden, 35% of the recycled food is devoted to be fermented with methane to generate electric power. Last but not least, the majority approaches in recycling the food waste in Hong Kong is composting. The government also encourages the privates to convert the food wastes to composts. However, the composts offered by the privates were hard to be found the markets. Many people who lost their capital in compost investment ever are not confident with this technology.In addition, Food waste is always mixed with general waste in the kitchen e. g. plastics, knife, cans etc and food waste barrels is usually too heavy to move. And for most of the hotels and restaurants, additional storage space is needed for food waste. 3. 2 Recommendations The problem of food waste is not only about technical issues such as waste treatment; beyond that, cultural themes like the idea of consumption and human relationship with nature are involved too.Moreover, the solution to it should not be restricted to individual action; government policy and even cultural change should also play a significant role. From two frameworks in reducing food waste in UK and US as references, the suggestions for the solutions elaborated below are in a same order which are shown in Figure 3. 5 and 3. 6. 47 Figure 3. 5 The food waste pyramid from http://www. companyshop. ltd. uk/corporate-social-responsibility/disposal-route. aspx Figure 3. The food waste pyramid from US. http://www. epa. gov/foodrecovery/The government or the organizations faced with food waste should make some public service advertisements about the impacts on the environment, create a website to educate public in food waste reduction and even can organize some activities to enhance the people‘s comprehension of the food waste knowledge and starving in other countries. In addition, the society should set up a correct concept for the food consumption. 48 An organization called Food Angel in Hong Kong is working excellent in reducing the food waste from source. It collects food from all segments of food industry which is usually abandoned due to some reasons.Then they prepare healthy nutritional meal boxes in their own professional kitchen and finally deliver the meal boxes to individuals and families in need. The government should encourage and reward the organizations like Food Angel who can reduce the food waste from sources. The government should make several effective policies on the food waste. System of rewards and penalties to the charity organizations and commercial companies associated with the food waste should be set up. And more programme on reducing the food waste from sources should be carried out and encouraged to be conducted.In addition, new and high efficiency technologies should be made an effort to develop. Furthermore, due to the high cost including premium and the rent for food waste recycling, EPD should give a hand like increase the amount of subsidy to the committee to help them to turn the corner. Generally speaking, in consideration with the nowadays situation in HK, the experiences from Korea and Japan can be a good example to learn with. We deduce that the food waste recycled in Hong Kong should follow in this order: 1) Feed animals; 2)Used to compost; 3)Deliver to the anaerobic lagoon.The reason for the first one is that the animals can have a good digestion with it and only generate manure rather than leachate or waste residuals. The reason for the second one is that proper compost may content the market and also reduce a certain amount of food waste to be dumped into landfill. The last reason is that after the anaerobic digestion it‘ll generate electric power which can be used by residents and can also reduce the carbon dioxide from coal burning in Tsing Yi Power Station. In addition, new and high efficiency technologi es should be made an effort to develop.To acquire best cost-efficiency and the lowest impact on the environment, the combination of 3 main technologies in nowadays should be conducted as well. To make the technologies run safely and 49 smoothly, food waste classification should also be in deep consideration. At the meanwhile, people who are authorized by EPD may have the right to ticket when they check the classification of the food waste. In the future, we may transform food waste into laundry detergent, plastic ingredients, and a host of everyday products, in a discovery that may ease pressure on the city's bulging landfills.According to the research made by an environmental scientist at City University of Hong Kong, food waste can be transformed into bioenergy that can be used to generate heat and electricity, and at the same time reduce the volume of food waste destined for landfills by at least 50%. 4 Conclusion While our neighbor—Koran and Taiwan made an great achieveme nt in the food waste problem, Hong Kong just started to focus on this kind of problem because of the full- load of landfills by 2018. The collection and recycling strategies applied in recent years may reduce the volume of food waste sent to landfill.But as Hong Kong is one of the largest generation areas of food waste in the world, it is still doubtful whether the recycling rate of food waste can catch up with the present increasing rate of food waste. Therefore, the government should pay more attention on the minimization of food waste and the cooperation with unofficial organization to reduce the generation of food waste in the future. With both the strategies of minimization and reuse/recycling, the food waste prob lems can be solved effectively in Hong Kong.