6-month grace period under Hong Kong’s coming waste-charging scheme may be extended if necessary: environment chief
- Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan says extension possible after lawmaker Chan Hok-fung expresses concerns over duration of grace period
- Under six-month period, residents who do not comply with new rules will mostly be given verbal warnings
Hong Kong’s environment chief has said authorities will consider extending a six-month grace period under an impending waste-charging scheme if necessary.
Responding to questions from lawmakers on Wednesday, Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan also said the government had observed a 15 per cent increase in recyclables in recent months following the promotion of the scheme.
“At first, we set a six-month adjustment period, which is not a short period of time,” Tse said. “Of course, our goal is to promote the scheme to let everyone learn and change their behaviour, so if we see there is really a need, we can consider extending the grace period.”
The municipal waste-charging scheme will require residents to dispose of their rubbish using government-designated bags.
The scheme was set to be implemented on April 1, but authorities on Friday announced they would further delay the launch to August 1, citing the need to educate the public amid widespread confusion over the plan.
Under the six-month grace period, residents who do not comply with the new rules will be mostly be given verbal warnings.
Once the period ends, people who fail to use the designated bags or labels will face a fixed penalty of HK$1,500 (US$191). Serious or repeat offenders could be prosecuted and face fines between HK$25,000 and HK$50,000, and up to six months’ jail.
What you need to know about Hong Kong’s coming waste-charging scheme
Tse was responding to a question from lawmaker Chan Hok-fung, who expressed concerns that six months was too short for residents to familiarise themselves with the scheme.
In addition to possibly extending the grace period, Tse said a trial set to begin on April 1 at government offices and some residential buildings would serve as a demonstration and rehearsal of the scheme.
“I believe that an actual demonstration can let residents and people we are concerned about see how the scheme actually works,” he said.
Responding to another question by lawmaker Chan Siu-hung on the city’s recycling facilities, Tse said there was a 15 per cent increase in the amount of recyclables in recent months following the promotion of the waste-charging plan.
Hong Kong delays waste charging to August as leader decides more education needed
“The speed of growth is quite fast, so we have demanded that the operators of the Green@Community service points be prepared to increase their manpower and recycling points when we implement the waste-charging scheme in the future,” he said.
Green@Community is a network of facilities set up by the government, which include large-scale recycling stations, community-based recycling stores and weekly recycling spots on the street.
Tse said the government would consider making such services more convenient for residents and carry out discussions with their operators on extending hours and improving their mode of working.
A mop and a pause on Hong Kong’s waste-charging scheme
Lawmaker Gary Zhang Xinyu, a member of the Legislative Council’s environmental affairs panel, said it was too soon to consider whether the adjustment period should be extended, adding that the government should focus on educating residents so that they would be motivated to follow the policy.
“If we can explain the scheme well and raise people’s awareness on a fundamental level, we will not need to extend the adjustment period,” he said. “If we still can’t explain it well after we reach six months following August, it will be very difficult for us to enforce this law.”
Fellow panel member Elizabeth Quat also agreed that it was too soon to discuss whether there was a need to lengthen the grace period, but said it was good that the government was open-minded about a potential extension as the scheme was complicated and many residents were still confused about it.
“If everyone needs more time to get used to it, then they will get more time to get used to it,” she said. “I think this is something that can be changed any time.”
