Estate managers still left holding bag if households slip up on waste

The SAR administration will not interfere with moves by property management companies to collect waste from households and dump it for them once the municipal solid waste charge comes into effect in April.

However, residents will still have the responsibility to buy designated trash bags, the Environmental Protection Department said.

Starting April 1, Hongkongers are required to buy designated bags when disposing of their domestic rubbish and a fixed penalty of HK$1,500 will be issued to those who fail to use such bags.

The department said in a Facebook post yesterday that the new garbage disposal charging legislation allows property management companies to use large designated bags to collect garbage that is not wrapped in designated bags from households though the department does not recommend such a practice.

"This cannot exempt people from the obligation to use designated bags when disposing of garbage," it said.

"People should pay for what they dispose of and that is the principle behind the new charging scheme," it added.

However, management companies still have to wrap up garbage that is not properly bagged up by households in designated bags before they deliver them to garbage collectors, otherwise, the garbage will not be accepted.

The department also said the legislation will not forbid anyone or any organization from free distribution of designated bags to households in non-profit activities but only prohibits unauthorized sales.

This came after Edward Leung Hei, a Legislative Council member from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said Friday the new legislation will not allow property management companies to collect garbage that has not been properly bagged up by residents in large designated trash bags or to distribute designated bags free of charge to low-income households.

Asked if he misunderstood the policy, Leung said yesterday that "there was no inconsistency" between what he had said and the department's clarification but urged the government to make the policy clear.

Leung said a department officer had told him earlier that management companies are not allowed to use large designated bags to collect garbage not properly wrapped up by residents.

He said there is no conflict as people who fail to use designated bags are violating the law.

"I don't think the officer who talked to me fully understood the charging scheme and I hope the department can assign those who really understand the policy to explain it well to the public," Leung said.

He also welcomed the department's allowing free distribution of designated bags to people in need as it would ease the financial burden at the grassroots and help those having trouble buying designated bags, especially the elderly.