Land grants urged for e-waste recyclers
Land should be provided and incentives offered to attract electronic-waste recyclers, a lawmaker says.
Cyd Ho Sau-lan was speaking during debate yesterday in the Legislative Council's environmental affairs panel about a proposal to impose a levy on buyers of electronic goods to cover waste treatement.
Ho said the government should study the running costs of recycling facilities before setting the levy's level to ensure the scheme provided business opportunities and that the recycling trade would be self-sustaining.
'No one would be interested in investing in money-losing projects,' she said.
Environment undersecretary Dr Kitty Poon Kit said the levy would be set at a level which would allow the trade to recover its costs and sustain the business. The bureau was open to providing incentives to recyclers.
The government aims to regulate collection and recycling of more than 70,000 tonnes of e-waste generated each year, an amount expected to grow 2 per cent a year. Much of the waste is now exported after preliminary treatment in recycling yards but the storage before shipment creates environmental hazards.
Products to be covered include TVs, fridges, washing machines, air conditioners and computer equipment. The proposal includes a ban on the disposal of such products in landfills, and an extra fee, possibly up to HK$250 per product, to be paid by customers for waste treatment.
Gary Chan Hak-kan, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, worried that the livelihoods of those who scavenge discarded electronic goods for scrap metal might be jeopardised by the scheme, which would require consumers to return an old electronic appliance to buy a new one.
Meanwhile, St James' Settlement will open an electronic-waste recycling centre at the Eco Park in Tuen Mun as early as next month.
