Government serious about tackling waste I wish to respond to various unsubstantiated assertions in the letter by Kim Chai (" Sustainable disposal solution needed to tackle mounting waste ", July 26). Chai alleged there is no comprehensive programme on waste management in Hong Kong. This is untrue. Our blueprints for Sustainable Use of Resources 2013-22 and Food Waste & Yard Waste 2014-22 set out comprehensive strategies, targets and plans to tackle waste challenges in the coming decade. Our key target is to reduce per capita municipal solid waste by 40 per cent by 2022. We have initiatives to reduce waste at source, increase recycling, promote reuse, impose mandatory municipal solid waste charging, and build the necessary waste-to-energy infrastructure, as well as dealing with final treatment and disposal. We will have several mandatory producer responsibility schemes - from April 1, 2015, plastic shopping bag charging will be extended to the entire retail sector; and two more of these schemes, on waste electrical and electronic equipment and glass beverage bottles, are in the pipeline. Our initiatives are supported by many campaigns, such as Food Wise, so that we can inculcate a new "use less, waste less" culture in Hong Kong. We are establishing green community stations in each district to spread waste reduction, reuse and recycle messages through funding non-profit organisations. To support the development of the recycling industry, we will set up a HK$1 billion recycling fund, subject to funding approval from the legislature, continue to support research and development of new recycling technologies, and take the lead in green procurement. Chan referred to the solutions in Denmark, Germany, Sweden, South Korea and Taiwan. These advanced economies all have adequate waste-to-energy facilities coupled with adequate landfill space to handle waste that cannot be further reduced or recycled. The government will invest about HK$30 billion in waste recycling and treatment facilities. We now have a comprehensive programme of initiatives in line with the internationally-accepted waste management hierarchy. Elvis W. K. Au, assistant director of environmental protection Absolute certainty in 2017 is the goal The proposal that to be a valid candidate for election as chief executive in 2017, one must secure at least 50 per cent of support from the nominating committee is both impractical and incompatible with genuine universal suffrage. If the number of nominations received by the three aspiring candidates in the 2012 chief executive election is anything to go by, none secured 50 per cent. If there are only two aspiring candidates, while it is theoretically possible for each to secure 50 per cent, the likelihood of this happening is virtually nil unless the whole exercise is completely controlled and all members of the nominating committee act according to precise instructions from a single source. The certain outcome is either that no one will secure the necessary 50 per cent or only one person will emerge from the nomination process with the necessary minimum 50 per cent. Either way, there will be no election by the general electorate. This then is the purpose of the proposal. As executive councillor Cheng Yiu-tong has observed, the central government wants absolute certainty about the results of any election. But why make us go through this charade of a consultation and dialogue for an election with Chinese characteristics? Gladys Li, Admiralty Damaging and dishonest to students I share Tony Au's observations and sentiments entirely (" Teachers have an important role to play ", August 12). Section 1.2 of the Education Bureau's January 2014 liberal studies curriculum states that the subject "helps each student to respect pluralism of cultures and views, and be a critical, reflective and independent thinker". The government's use of phrases such as "it is generally accepted that" in its reports to the National People's Congress without providing any evidence that those are indeed majority or widely-held views, as well as making no reference to the different opinions held by hundreds of thousands of people, is brazenly dishonest politically; it is also deeply damaging and dishonest to students. How can the government, on the one hand, encourage students "to respect pluralism" and "be critical independent thinkers" and then, on the other, pretend that every view other than its own is insignificant? Those government ministers who have presented these reports to the NPC should feel ashamed of themselves for the contempt they are showing every young person in Hong Kong. They are certainly not fit to be responsible for implementing their own education policy. Lee Faulkner, Kennedy Town Disruptive filibustering unacceptable Some radical lawmakers, being diametrically opposed to the government, have adopted extreme tactics to disrupt meetings of the Legislative Council and hinder the lawmaking process. They have adopted filibustering tactics to obstruct the passage of legislation including the budget bill. They have also been guilty of unruly behaviour in the Legco chamber, because they want what they call genuine universal suffrage. A legislature should have adequate debates and checks and balances. But obviously the aim should be to get laws passed and the radical lawmakers are not doing their duty in this regard. They need to reconsider their tactics in the months ahead and stop doing things which may hinder the development of Hong Kong society. Rainie Kwok, Tseung Kwan O Hackers are undermining HK society In June there were cyberattacks on the web platforms used to run Occupy Central's unofficial referendum on political reform. Cyberwarfare is a serious problem, not just for groups like Occupy Central, but for all of us, as these hackers can get hold of Hong Kong residents' personal information such as ID card numbers. These people invade our privacy and, by doing so, they undermine the whole of society, just as they were trying to undermine Occupy Central. The government must step up its efforts to crack down on cyberattacks. Amber Chiu Cheuk-hang, Wong Tai Sin Plea of help for visually impaired More citizens are now concerned about the need to ensure that people with a disability are given equal treatment in society. A survey has found that some universities are not giving disabled students the help they need and if need be the government should step in and ensure these young people are assured a fair learning environment. They are entitled to receive the same educational opportunities as students with no disabilities. The government should provide subsidies to universities so that they can buy books printed in Braille and specially-designed projectors when a tutor has to use a projector during a lecture. Without them, a visually impaired student will not be able to know what is on the screen, and it may be crucial to understanding the points that the tutor is making. This obviously will prove an obstacle to their studies. Colleges should also provide large, clear signs to make it easier for the visually impaired to know where they are going. The government and universities can work together to provide a better learning environment for all students, including those who are visually impaired. This illustrates the need to ensure that there is no bias in our society against any groups of people and that everyone can be treated equally. Jeffrey Chan, Fo Tan Integrate two schools of medicine Traditional Chinese medicine is making advances as it finds ways to adapt in the modern world. Because of that, I think there is a case for trying to have some integration of Western and Chinese medicine in all Hong Kong's public hospitals. If this happened, it would be a huge leap forward for the health service here. Kwong Wah Hospital, in Kowloon Tong, is the only hospital in the city which has adopted this integrated approach. Patients who stay there are given a choice. If they wish, and where appropriate, they can be treated with Western and traditional Chinese medicine, for example, in the latter case, acupuncture. I think the dispensing of some Chinese medicine can help reduce the side effects of Western treatment. Chinese medicine might prove particularly helpful with certain chronic conditions. I would be interested to see how it might assist in the treatment of cancer patients. Given the success of the programme at Kwong Wah, the government should look into the possibility of extending the integrated approach to other hospitals. Vicky Chan Hei-ling, Ho Man Tin
