MSW Charging Scheme suspended, Warner Cheuk says

The Government will suspend the implementation of the MSW Charging Scheme scheduled on August 1, Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration Warner Cheuk said at a joint meeting of the Legislative Council this afternoon (May 27).

The Demonstration Scheme of MSW Charging ended last Friday (May 24).

The Environment and Ecology Bureau's report on the pilot scheme submitted to the Legislative Council showed that many residents reflected that the garbage collection fee was a nuisance to the public and that the fee was too expensive, imposing a heavy burden on them.

People also worried that littering would increase after the law came into effect.

The utilization rate of designated garbage bags varied among the pilot sites, ranging from 20% to over 50% on average in the residential sites. Still, there was a reduction in the amount of garbage disposed of in individual sites and an increase in the amount of food waste recycled.