The Legislative Council’s Environmental Affairs Committee and the Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene Committee held a joint meeting on the 27th. Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs, Jacky Cheung, announced a temporary suspension of the implementation of waste charging on August 1st due to significant public reservations. The government will publish a gazette to cancel the announcement regarding the implementation plan on August 1st and will expedite the expansion of community recycling facilities and optimize policies. A progress report on government work will be presented to the Legislative Council by mid-next year.
Cheung presented the results of the “pilot scheme” on waste charging at the meeting today. The government acknowledged various concerns and objections from the public, including the high cost of designated bags, the environmental unfriendliness of using a designated bag to hold another plastic bag, challenges in storing waste for recycling in small Hong Kong households, inadequate facilities for waste sorting and food waste recycling, increased workload for cleaners due to waste charging operations, and potential environmental and hygiene issues from indiscriminate waste dumping.
Different studies, media reports, and collected feedback showed that only about 20-30% of citizens support the timely implementation of waste charging, with the majority opposing the move. Main opinions included “postponing implementation,” “phased implementation postponement,” “implementation delayed until 2026,” and “simply canceling waste charging and shelving the plan.”
The results of the “pilot scheme” also indicated that waste charging operations were perceived as cumbersome by the public, with a majority of residential participants not utilizing the designated bags effectively. The disposal and recycling quantities of waste, as well as participants’ waste disposal habits, did not show significant changes. Waste sorting significantly increased the workload of cleaning staff, and the use of designated bags led to increased operating costs for the catering industry and elderly care homes, making operations more challenging.
Cheung further mentioned that most citizens have significant reservations about the implementation of waste charging according to different surveys. The limited foundation of recycling culture and coverage of recycling networks, misconceptions regarding penalties in existing laws leading to increased fees, increased workload for cleaning staff, slower-than-expected economic recovery affecting industry operations were all factors considered. Therefore, both he and the Chief Executive accepted the Secretary for the Environment’s suggestion to temporarily suspend the measure – waste charging will not be implemented on August 1st.
The government will publish a gazette to revoke the announcement on waste charging scheduled for August 1st and adjust building waste disposal fees beginning on the same day. Cheung stressed that changing the habits of over seven million citizens cannot be rushed, and addressing multiple issues and projects will take time and step-by-step planning.
Secretary for the Environment, Raymond Tse, stated that the government would accelerate the expansion of community recycling networks, especially in food waste recycling, by installing smart collection equipment in all housing estates with the aim of doubling the numbers within a year. Additionally, starting on June 1st, the government will distribute 20 designated bags per month free of charge to public housing residents for six months. Tse hopes that public housing residents will use these 20 designated bags to dispose of all waste monthly. Private housing estates agreeing to waste reduction pledges will also receive designated bags.
He also mentioned that the government would conduct further research and attempt policy improvements, including exempting frontline staff from legal responsibilities and easing the financial burden on certain sectors, with progress expected to be reported to the Legislative Council by mid-next year.
Legislative Council member, Ben Tian, criticized the government for its failed promotion, stating that although the plan has been in the works for years, it has not effectively communicated the original intent of waste charging to citizens or properly executed waste reduction and recycling initiatives. Tian described the government’s announcement of a temporary suspension as the “answer the world wants to hear,” but noted that “saying is not the same as doing.” He also criticized the government for not setting an implementation timetable or mandating the use of the distributed designated bags to differentiate between action and inaction. He suggested implementing waste charging starting in January next year with a one-year adaptation period, allowing citizens to use designated bags for free and issuing warnings instead of prosecutions during this period.
Another member, Kitty Kong, raised concerns about whether there would be breach-of-contract issues with the designated bag supplier following the suspension announcement and whether the pre-made designated bags could be sold to citizens at a lower cost to recover some expenses. She also asked about handling the increasing amount of industrial waste separately from household waste.
In response, Tse clarified that there was no agreement on the quantity of designated bags with the supplier, so the suspension of waste charging would not lead to any contractual issues. The government plans to continue distributing designated bags to the public, primarily for promotional purposes. Authorities currently do not consider selling designated bags to prevent stirring public emotions over payment issues.