Editorial | Officials need to sort out mess after latest waste-charging delay
- Hong Kong public remains unprepared and confused by lack of promotion for long-standing proposal that will benefit environment
Twenty years since the idea was first floated, Hong Kong’s plans for a waste-charging system are anything but in the bag. Now only months before its planned debut in April, the scheme has been postponed again after it became clear the public was left unprepared and confused by inadequate promotion efforts by government officials. Authorities must learn lessons from the setback and do a much better job, improving their attitude and approach to raising awareness and understanding about a policy the city cannot afford to delay.
It is telling that John Lee Ka-chiu had to step in on Tuesday to tell the environment minister to devise “sharper and clearer” promotion strategies. The chief executive said large-scale and continuous efforts were needed so the scheme to cut the volume of landfill rubbish was “clearly explained”. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan initially chalked up public apprehension to “human nature” and denied publicity efforts had been insufficient. Yesterday, the Environment and Ecology Bureau admitted it needed more time.
Stories about how officials have interacted with the public so far are not encouraging. A senior Environmental Protection Department official, on being asked how to dispose of a mop, reportedly replied Hongkongers were “clever” and would use a saw to cut the handle.
Tse said, from April, government departments would take the lead and start demonstrating how the scheme would work, with a public launch set for August. He said they would demonstrate “real cases for people to observe” ahead of the big day.
Officials had already pushed back their original plan to start the programme at the end of last year, saying they had to address worries of waste collection staff and the need for all rubbish to be collected in prepaid bags costing 11 HK cents per litre.
The latest delay came amid further concern about logistics, enforcement and technical details, including how waste charging would work in old buildings and rural areas where tracking who dumps what is relatively difficult.
The four-month delay is disappointing, but it seems an inevitable and better option for a “result-oriented” government that would see its credibility tarnished by a botched roll-out. Officials responsible for what has occurred up to now should be held accountable. It is to be welcomed that the government will show how the system works before the official launch, but questions remain about which departments will proceed first. Their credibility will further suffer should they fail to learn any lessons from this affair.
Waste charging has been coming for years. It is time to clear up and get the job done properly before the reputation of the government is damaged any more.