Charge Commercial Waste by Weight Is Doable

Yu Kin Man --115116 2014年1月21日 (二) 17:43 (UTC)

Bernard Chan, The Chairman of the Council for the Sustainable Development, said charging commercial disposal by weight is doable and preferable, while such a method can not implement to household disposal.

The Invitation for Response Document on waste charging will end the consultation period on Friday. Chan said, as attended more than 30 seminars introducing the governments idea on disposal charging, property management agencies are the most worried because huge amount of workload will be added if commercial disposal is charged by weight.

Chan addressed that, even though there are drawbacks of the waste charging plan, the public seems to agree it as an ultimate way to reduce disposal and ease the pressure of Hong Kong's three landfills.

Chan said, to explore a suitable method on charging household waste is difficult because it cannot charged by weight. He mentioned it is "technically impossible" to weight the waste produce by every household, therefore the members of Council of Sustainable Development suggest to charge the waste by volume, particularly by the size of plastic bags household used to dispose.

Chan added that, the recent Policy Address suggested to subsidize recycling companies, which may ease the pressure of landfills either, but in long run situation, he predicted the government will need to enhance the amount of subsidy in order to reduce wastes disposal on landfills in future.