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The government has now revived the proposal to introduce a charge for the disposal of  waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).
Unfortunately the proposal appears to be a good idea in principle that will have problems if it is implemented. This is like so many ideas that this government has formulated, such as the  idling engine ban, the Mandatory Provident Fund scheme, and  the minimum wage legislation.
As soon as people have to start paying for the disposal of this electrical equipment, difficulties will arise. 
If the legislation is passed, will people be willing to take their equipment for disposal to the approved shops and to pay for the privilege?  
The alternative is of course to just dump the  appliance down a refuse chute, or leave it behind at your nearest refuse collection point when no one is looking.
Worse would be the situation in villages in the New Territories where many people would just toss it down a slope, as happens already  in many places, with bulky waste that the villagers obviously consider too much work to carry to the right location for proper disposal.
 Just look down a slope when you are walking through a village. At the bottom you will see a pile of such items as discarded fridges and mattresses.
The only way to introduce such a charge and have people actually pay it, would be to add a recycling charge when the product is bought new, and the shops that collect these charges would then transfer it to the government like the plastic bag tax. 
Such a rule should apply not only for WEEE, but also for cars, tyres, and other products. 
The government can then  set up recycling centres with the capacity to actually handle a significant portion of Hong Kong's waste.
What is being done at the moment in Tuen Mun's recycling park is nothing more than  window dressing.
Wouter van Marle, Tai Po



Electrical waste charge doomed to fail before it is implemented