Some of Hong Kong’s influential voices called for the HKSAR government to consider society’s financial state and optimize the pilot waste-charging program, after a trial recorded a take-up rate as low as 20 percent.

Fourteen premises including residential buildings, restaurants and nursing homes were picked to participate in the trial run of the waste charging program from Apr 1, before a citywide implementation on Aug 1. Speaking on a radio program on Sunday, Tse Chin-wan, secretary for environment and ecology, said compared with commercial facilities’ cooperation, only 20 to 50 percent of participating households has used designated green rubbish bags for waste disposal.

Some residents have said they are troubled by the trial run, and Tse Chin-wan, secretary for environment and ecology, said the government will also take into consideration participants’ feelings before taking the program forward

Tse said recent changes in the business environment and economic conditions have influenced public opinion on the waste charging program, adding that the authorities hope to gather technical insights from the pilot program, including the overall cost and people’s ability to pay.

Some residents have said they are troubled by the trial run, and Tse said the government will also take into consideration participants’ feelings before taking the program forward.

Tommy Cheung Yu-yan, the catering sector lawmaker, said he was confident that the government will take note of the trial’s outcome before formulating follow-up strategies. Cheung said he believed that pushing back the program’s full implementation to August provides more time for residents and the business community to understand how to effectively adapt to the supporting measures.

Lo Wai-Kwok, chairman of the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong, said the intention of the waste charging program is to encourage the public to generate less waste, rather than making additional revenues from the prepaid bags. However, some people’s dissatisfaction stems from finding that the waste cannot be recycled or processed properly even if extra money is paid, Lo said.

Lo suggested that the authorities should enhance waste recycling and sorting first before introducing waste charging across the entire city.

Lo Man-tuen, vice-chairman of All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, urged the government to consider postponing or even shelving the waste charging as the low participation rate in the trial run reflects the society is not ready to embrace the policy.

Lo told local media that suspending the program is not a denial of the government’s efforts to protect the environment. Instead, Lo said he thinks the government should focus on improving waste recycling to help society reach consensus before making any further moves.

stephyzhang@chinadailyhk.com