The Council for Sustainable Development has proposed a set of municipal solid waste charges after a four-month public engagement process.
Council Chairman Bernard Chan briefed reporters today on the proposals which will be submitted for the Government’s consideration.
He said for residential buildings the target is to charge households on their garbage disposed per bag, and it can start with buildings where waste is collected by the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department.
As there are 80,000 buildings in Hong Kong, and it is not possible to impose one system overnight, a transitional period of up to three years is also proposed to accommodate the needs of different buildings.
During this period, buildings that need more time to install the necessary facilities, or to forge consensus, can instead adopt a per-building charge.
Mr Chan said to provide more incentive for households to change their habits, it is suggested waste disposal per bag be cheaper than per building.
Noting it is not easy to achieve 100% compliance, he hopes the public will be encouraged by adequate incentive and education.
The committee also proposes waste charges for industrial and commercial premises.
