78% of Hongkongers say waste-charging scheme roll-out should be delayed, online survey finds in ‘clear warning sign’
- Online survey by office of lawmaker Chan Hoi-yan finds more than three-quarters of respondents ‘totally agreed’ or ‘agreed’ with delaying pay-as-you-throw scheme
- Post earlier reported authorities considering postponement, with Chan urging them to ‘think twice and readjust’
Lawmaker Chan Hoi-yan, whose office organised the survey, on Thursday urged authorities to improve the city’s recycling support system before the full launch of the pay-as-you-throw scheme.
The survey, conducted using Google Forms, received 959 responses between April 30 and May 6, with 78 per cent of people saying they “totally agreed” or “agreed” with postponing the roll-out.
The findings also showed that although 92.2 per cent of respondents were aware of the planned August 1 launch, 54 per cent said they did not understand the scheme.
“This is a clear warning sign,” Chan said. “The government must think twice and readjust the implementation time and details.”
She also cited the survey’s findings that 21.9 per cent of respondents felt the policy was aimed at increasing government revenue.
She said some residents felt as though authorities were “trying to burn a hole in their pockets”, which she added was “obviously a huge misunderstanding”.