“Hong Kong has technology, funding and investment, and the mainland has land and cheaper labour,” Tse told a radio show.
“Their green products can also make use of Hong Kong as a window and be sold to other countries.
“If the entire Greater Bay Area collaborates, we can handle not just waste but also resource recycling. This will be a great benefit in developing the green industry.”
The Greater Bay Area is a national scheme that aims to integrate Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in Guangdong province into an economic and development powerhouse.
Tse said that sending some waste from Hong Kong to the mainland for incineration was currently under review, pointing to the advantages of cost-effectiveness and encouraging the development of the green industry.
Hong Kong currently collects around 1,000 to 2,000 tonnes of waste paper every day and sends them to factories on the mainland to be recycled, according to Tse.
Without going into detail on how to go through the mainland’s strict restrictions against importing non-local waste, Tse said it would require discussions from administrations of both sides of the border.
Hong Kong has been aiming to reduce waste as officials vowed to stop relying on landfills by 2035.
One measure that was being pushed by authorities was a waste-charging scheme, but the controversial plan was shelved on Monday after facing widespread public opposition.
“Landfills in Hong Kong have caused quite a lot of nuisance,” Tse said. “Land in Hong Kong is very precious. Using land as landfill has a huge economic cost.”
He said that in the long run it would not be possible for Hong Kong to rely on landfills to handle waste.
The city’s first waste-to-energy incinerator, located on an artificial island at Shek Kwu Chau, south of Lantau Island, is expected to be ready for operation next year.
The second such facility would be built in Tsang Tsui in Tuen Mun, with Tse saying he would reveal further details in a Legislative Council session next month.
Officials are also looking into the possibility of setting up the third one in the Northern Metropolis, a mega development project that transforms the north of the city into land for innovation and technology.
Tse said having three incinerators could enable Hong Kong to completely stop using landfills.