Press Release

【Press Release】Friends of the Earth (HK) comment on Further Postponement of Waste Charging: Don’t Lose the Opportunity for Phased Implementation




(Hong Kong, 27 May 2024) Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, reported on the municipal solid waste charging demonstration scheme today. Friends of the Earth (HK) is extremely disappointed to learn the government has decided to postpone waste charging without a set date.

Friends of the Earth (HK) reiterates that waste charging is a driver facilitating businesses and the public to practice source reduction and also resource recovery and recycling. The decision to once again delay the scheme is very disappointing; the government must use the time to pilot waste charging in phases, strengthen collection and recycling facilities, regularly review and optimise scheme details, and strive to hasten its full implementation in Hong Kong.

Friends of the Earth (HK) urges the government to adopt the following recommendations:

1. Phased trial implementation: The government should implement its trial run in phases, expanding coverage to include government properties, such as office buildings, government schools, civil servant quarters, sports centres, and shopping malls and other public facilities under the Housing Authority (except public housing estates). This should be backed by a clear target to reduce waste disposal by at least 10% within a year. Participating departments must submit regular reports detailing difficulties met so that EPD can optimise the scheme.

2. Encourage private participation: The government should invite the pilot for the private sector, civil society organisations, and housing estates to participate in the trial run. This will allow for more data and feedback to be collected and improve preparations for the full implementation. Incentives, such as distributing free designated bags, can be provided to participants

3. Strengthen publicity and outreach: The waste charge is an environmental policy based on the "polluter pays" principle, aiming to promote source reduction, encourage resource recycling and reuse. Misleading claims however continue to circulate about waste charging. The government must put more resources into publicity and outreach, collecting and responding to comments from the public, and continuously improving scheme implementation details.

4. Enhance collection and recycling: Recycling demand will significantly increase with the successful implementation of waste charging. The government must build sufficient infrastructure and ensure recyclables are not being disposed of in landfills to facilitate desire in sorting and recycling. At the same time, economic support should be given to upgrade and transform the recycling industry, promoting a circular economy and industry’s sustainable development.

5. Increase domestic food waste collection: Around 30% of municipal solid waste generated in Hong Kong is food waste, of which 70% comes from households. The government must speed up the installation of food waste bins in public housing estates and provide subsidies for their installation in private housing estates and villages. The government should additionally set up collection points at all refuse collection stations and other suitable venues (e.g., wet markets) across the 18 districts to provide citizens more convenience in recycling food waste.

6. Accelerate food waste treatment capacity: O·PARK1 and O·PARK2 alone cannot handle the volume of food waste currently generated in Hong Kong. The government should increase food waste management capacity, setting up more organic resource recycling centres and upgrading sewage treatment facilities with food waste/sewage sludge anaerobic co-digestion capability.

7. Reduce food wastage and promote donation: Some 3,500 tonnes of "food waste” goes into landfills every day; a good portion of which however is still perfectly edible. Friends of the Earth (HK) previously commissioned a research and found many foods are still safe to eat past their "best before” date, as long as they are in good condition. The government should promote sustainable consumption practices and cherish food. At the same time, the government should reference France and Belgium, where supermarkets are prohibited from discarding unsold edible food and required to donate such food to food banks, tackling food waste and hunger and alleviating poverty.

8. Expand producer responsibility: Producer responsibility scheme is a key policy tool in Hong Kong’s waste management strategy, requiring relevant parties to share responsibility for the collection, recycling, treatment and disposal of end-of-life products. The online shopping boom in recent years for example has created excessive volumes of packaging waste. The government should speed up the expansion of producer responsibility schemes so polluters bear the cost of waste management.

Claims of the financial burden of waste charging on the community ignores the reality that taxpayers are currently subsidising big polluters for the cost of waste disposal and managing landfills. Delaying waste charging will only continue to saddle the society with the environmental and economic costs and the opportunity cost of not developing a circular economy. Waste charging is an important part of the overall waste reduction strategy. The government must strengthen complementing infrastructure, optimise implementation details, and strive for a successful roll out of waste charging.
 


Interested Topic:
Keyword:

You may find interested in
Back To Top