Hong Kong waste charging scheme dumped as time runs out on long-delayed bill
- The bill, first proposed more than a decade ago, had been expected to reduce solid waste by 40 per cent on a per capita basis by 2022
- Environment chief Wong Kam-sing says the government will do its best to reduce waste through other means despite the setback
Hong Kong lawmakers have dumped a long-delayed bill on a mandatory waste disposal charge, citing a lack of time to complete the legislative work and blaming one another for the failure.
The bill, the third ditched in the past few weeks because of time constraints, was first proposed more than a decade ago and expected to reduce solid waste by 40 per cent on a per capita basis by 2022, according to the government’s blueprint.
Members of the bills committee on the waste charging scheme voted on Monday seven to four to shelve discussions for the rest of the current legislative session, which ends in mid-July, effectively dumping the bill.
“This means total government failure in terms of environmental policy,” said opposition lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung, a member of the bills committee.