What is it?
The Waste Disposal Bill, or otherwise known as the Charging for Municipal solid waste bill, was passed by the Hong Kong Legislative Council on August 26th 2021. With its ratification, Hong Kong takes a big step forward towards achieving its long term goal of reducing all landfill waste by 2035. In essence, the bill aims to discourage residents from throwing away their waste, and rather opt to recycle and reuse. This is done by mandating that residents pay for all the waste they throw away. The cost comes from the mandatory purchasing of dedicated rubbish bags sold by the government, with various sizes ranging from 3 litres to 660 litres. All sizes will be available in packs of 10 from convenience stores, online stores, petrol stations, post offices and dedicated vending machines. Items that do not fit into any of the various sized bags will have to be tagged with an $11 dollar tag purchased from the same locations.
Each litre will cost 11 Hong Kong cents, for context, this means that the standard 15-litre supermarket plastic bag will cost HK$1.7 per month. For the average Hong Kong household, it is predicted that they will pay anywhere from HK$33 to HK$55 each month to throw away their trash. Low-income families are expected to be offered a subsidy in order to cover this payment, while certain residents benefiting from social welfare schemes will receive free bags for a period of time.
The law is planned to be implemented after a 18-month preparatory period, in which residents and industries get prepared for the transition. Furthermore, the enforcement will initially begin with a short grace period, in which offenders will only be issued warnings. After this period, a HK$1500 fine will be levied.
The bill has been many years in the making, originally being proposed in 2005 and temporarily shelved. However, in light of decreasing recycling rates (down from 52% in 2010 to 29%) and highs in waste per capita, the government saw the bill as necessary for the future -- a welcomed decision for many in Hong Kong.
What critics say
Whilst the bill is favourable in theory, there is criticism regarding the implementation and logistics of the bill.
In a survey run by a local think tank in May, 68% of the surveyed Hongkongers approved the implementation of the bill. However, amongst the 32% of those that didn’t approve, 68% cited the cost as their main concern.
In terms of local conservation groups, the majority are in support of the bill, seeing as at its very least, indicative of the government's increased efforts to reduce landfill waste in Hong Kong. Designing Hong Kong chief executive, Paul Zimmerman, believes that putting a charge on waste can be “symbolic”, as it reminds people that waste should not “come for free”. On the other hand, environmental groups such as Greenpeace oppose the implementation process that the government has chosen. They believe the long 18-month preparatory period to be excessive and hinders the effectiveness of the bill. The lack of a clear goal or timeline was also criticised by some, leading to them questioning whether or not the government's enforcement of the bill would be strict enough to make a substantial difference.
Despite some criticism towards the bill, the majority of organisations and citizens are in support of the bill. However they maintain that further policies such as improving public education are imperative as a complement to the bill.
What should we as GenZ do about the scheme?
While the issue’s holistic effect is largely equal across all age groups, we as GenZ should embrace and take initiative for the change. While the monetary cost (and hence main motivator) of the waste charging scheme generally does not apply to us, it is important that we embrace the change and develop good waste-reducing habits in our lifestyle. As GenZ’s, it is our responsibility to improve the environment not solely in the present world but also in the future. We are the ones that will lead the Earth in the future, and hence it is important that we foster and cultivate an eco-friendly and waste-free lifestyle early on in our life. Not only will it become a good habit for the future, we can also transfer its effects down to the next generation. Only when reducing waste whenever possible is embedded as a habitual practice within our society, can a sustainable world exist.
What the future could hold:
History has shown that waste charging schemes such as this have been successful in the past. Take South Korea for example. South Korea’s Solid waste charging scheme was implemented in 1995, leading to more people purchasing second-hand or refillable goods and increased overall recycling within the community. These changes can be reflected by statistics, as the overall waste disposal dropped by 40% while recycling rates increased by 60% in just a couple of years. It is important to note that while the South Korean government laid the foundation for the impressive drop in waste numbers, ultimately it was the population's willingness to change and embrace the new policy that led to the profound effect. If we GenZs can embrace the bill with the same willingness as the South Korean population, the goal of reducing landfill waste by 2035 may not seem such a distant dream.
Sources:
https://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news/section/4/179386/Waste-charging-law-passes-in-Hong-Kong
Writer: Eric Wang
Editor: Angela Chan
Graphics: Soham Chopra
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