Hong Kong should catch up with Seoul and Taipei which have boosted waste reduction by implementing waste-charging legislation 20 years ago.
Secretary for the Environment KS Wong made the statement to the media today after attending a radio show.
On whether Hong Kong will follow Seoul’s example in empowering enforcement officers to open unauthorised garbage bags to check the identity of the rubbish owners, Mr Wong said the Government has not considered adopting the practice due to Hong Kong people’s concern for privacy.
“The new proposal is to empower the relevant officers to get into the residential estates' public places to work with the estate managers so that we can exercise our enforcement power as appropriate.
“[However], privacy is a key concern in the Hong Kong society. We are not going to open the garbage bags to inspect, but we will see to some other means so that we can exercise the enforcement power.”
He said a family will be charged $300 for garbage disposal on average every year, adding the $1,500 fine for using unauthorised garbage bags will be a sufficient deterrent as the amount is five times the yearly garbage fee.
He added the plastic bags used in the scheme will be environmentally friendly as they will be made of recyclable and degradable materials.
