Authorities won't give up "polluter pays rule”

The government is considering implementing a waste charge based on the amount of waste from each building, Secretary for the Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said on Sunday.

This came after the government held off on implementing a scheme that would charge tenants based on the volume of their individual waste.

Speaking on a radio program, Tse noted that Hong Kong could adopt Taipei's model of charging waste fees per building as that could avoid the hassle of cleaners identifying improperly discarded garbage.

When asked whether quantity-based waste charging would diminish citizens' incentives to reduce waste, Tse believes that excessive garbage producers will be pressured by their neighbors to be considered irresponsible.

He added that the owners' committees would also be encouraged to promote recycling to cut costs.

Tse asserted that a balanced framework on the waste charging scheme that considers both cost control and establishing supportive behavioral norms around environmental protection is still important to avoid potential backlash.