Hate Recycling, Get Free Trip - In the past couple of years, the two district councils in Tuen Mun and The Outlying Islands have been complaining openly about the government’s plans to build recycling and incineration facilities in their districts, saying that the facilities would be unsightly and unpleasant for residents. So in order to persuade the councilors of the merits of local recycling programs, the government flew 26 out of 61 council members (that’s 43 percent of the total number of councilors) out to Japan on an all expenses paid, four-day trip. They went on to tour the landfills and facilities for waste management, recycling and incineration in Tokyo and Osaka. Oh, and also on the itinerary was a trip to a museum of rainforest plants. If that doesn’t convince them to allow recycling facilities to be built in their districts, we hear a long weekend touring the refuse sites of Las Vegas is next on the agenda.