Letters | Korea, Japan and Taiwan have waste under control, why must Hong Kong drag its feet?

I understand that the government needs to do a lot of research before implementation of the waste charging scheme, and ensure its collaboration with the recycling companies and others can proceed smoothly. But a delay is not a good idea because, firstly, Hong Kong has dithered over this environmental issue for a long time. As you reported, Taipei has been charging for municipal waste since 2000, and Seoul since 1995, and have seen a 30 per cent reduction in waste. It is nearly the end of 2018, and Hong Kong is still dragging its feet on this.

Secondly, in 2020, the landfill sites will become nearly full. Earlier implementation would help extend the lifespan of the landfill sites.

The government should appeal to the environmental awareness of the people, apart from devising ways to recycle and reduce waste. China earlier this year implemented restrictions on the kinds of waste it would import. So Hongkongers must be more particular about how they categorise their waste, so that it can be readily accepted by recycling firms. In Japan, people recycle most of their rubbish; they categorise waste methodically for efficient and “pure” recycling. This makes recycling firms more willing to process their rubbish. But in Hong Kong, there are mainly just three kinds of recycling bins.