LettersWhy Hong Kong’s waste-charging scheme smells like a bad idea
- Readers discuss the new legislation paving the way for a levy on household waste and how Central Market’s revitalisation could be improved
The new rubbish bag levy soon to be imposed could not be a more useless way of attacking the problem of household waste filling our landfill sites.
In what conceivable way does the levy make it possible for people to reduce their rubbish? There seems to be nothing in this legislation which helps either households or the city to do so.
Unless further legislation is passed to regulate overpackaging and the removal of the most harmful plastic pollutants, such as styrofoam, this legislation is pretty much a lame duck.
Frankly, this appears to be merely a revenue-raising exercise completely divorced from the ostensible reason for the law and one that disproportionately targets the poor – and if it is merely a revenue-raiser, then at least have the honesty to say so.
If this were part of a larger comprehensive plan, it might be understandable. For example, if the funds raised were used to pay for an industrial incineration system, or if they were used to finance a real recycling system for the city, then the legislation would have some practical value.