Mouthing Off | Why Hong Kong’s household waste disposal law requiring the use of prepaid rubbish bags won’t get people to ‘dump less’
- From April 1, 2024, Hong Kong households will have to dispose of refuse in designated bags they buy, to encourage recycling and discourage the dumping of waste
- But, knowing Hong Kong people, they will dump more trash in public bins and construction skips, and out of high-rise windows. Besides, who will enforce the law?
Although implementation is still months away, the Hong Kong government has been hard-selling its Municipal Solid Waste Charging Ordinance.
While it won’t take effect until April 1, 2024, a public education campaign about the waste reduction scheme is well under way, with TV ads and billboards touting its “polluter pays” principle.
In short, the idea to convince people to “dump less, save more” is to force everyone to use only designated garbage bags to dispose of their rubbish.
Presumably, if we have to line our bins with only their prepaid bags – which will come in several sizes and supposedly cost 11 Hong Kong cents (1.5 US cents) each for the smallest ones – then we will all try to recycle more and toss less waste.
It all sounds good, but I can already imagine some problems when reality comes into play. I hate to say this, but Hong Kong people are not among the world’s most conscientious citizens. There are many who will look for any way to get around government measures for selfish convenience.