Hong Kong residents will have to pay to throw out rubbish under bill lawmakers set to approve after years of delay
- The government will produce the bags, which will cost HK$1.70 for one about the same size as what supermarkets offer for groceries
- Some lawmakers have raised concerns over a possible increase in illegal dumping, which could create hygiene problems
Residents will have to pay to throw out their trash under a bill lawmakers are expected to pass on Thursday, 16 years after the idea was first proposed to help tackle Hong Kong’s growing amount of rubbish.
But lawmakers called on the Environmental Protection Department to clarify how it intended to enforce the new measure, which could cost the average household about HK$51 (US$6.60) a month to buy the required bags.
“I definitely am in support of this bill, but I hope the government takes up strict enforcement to avoid any issues with hygiene,” said lawmaker Elizabeth Quat of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong during the second reading of the bill amending the Waste Disposal Ordinance at the Legislative Council on Wednesday.
Buildings without owners’ corporations, residents’ organisations or property management companies could become overwhelmed by uncollected trash, which could attract rodents, she warned.
Peter Shiu Ka-fai from the Liberal Party urged the government to consider how to help poorer residents pay the new fee but said the overall benefits of the waste charging scheme far outweighed the costs.
“If you want to increase the burden of some residents – even though you may be correct from an environmental angle – for them the extra cost might be too heavy,” Shiu said.