【明報專訊】The government

Chairman of the Council for Sustainable Development Bernard Chan (可持續發展委員會主席陳智思, right) argues that Hong Kong can no longer delay implementing such a scheme, adding that, as no single approach suits every region, the government may ultimately go for a combination of different approaches.

The waste charging scheme is part of the government's ambitious plan to cut our city's waste production by 40 percent by 2022.

Environmental groups

Many green groups have said they support the scheme, but they think that the government should go even further. Hahn Chu, senior environmental affairs manager of Friend of the Earth Hong Kong (香港地球之友高級環境事務經理朱漢強, above), says charging every household $30 for its waste disposal would do little to change Hong Kong people's waste disposal habits. As for the three proposals, Chu thinks that the charge should be made in respect of households rather than buildings.

World Green Organisation (世界綠色組織), another environmental group, says that charging citizens by the weight of waste would be the most efficient way to cut waste generation.

Citizens

According to a DAB (民建聯) survey conducted in September 2013, 65 percent of Hong Kong people consider a waste-charging scheme "acceptable" if the charge does not exceed $20 a month. Another survey conducted by World Green Organisation in the same period showed half of the respondents were supportive of such a scheme and 20.6 percent were against it. 64.7 percent of them supported a household-based system.

As can be imagined, people in the lower income bracket are worried that the waste charge would add to their financial burdens. A lady sharing a sub-divided unit with her two sons says that $30 a month is the most she can afford. Some citizens argue that they should not be asked to foot the bill as it is big businesses that generate most of the waste.

Public opinions

Many political scientists have declared their support for the scheme, but not Ivan Choy, a CUHK lecturer (中大講師蔡子強, left). In a Ming Pao article he recounts what happened to him during a business visit in Taipei. Having finished a bottle of fruit tea he looked around for a rubbish bin, but it was nowhere to be seen. The reason was that the government had rubbish bins taken off the streets to prevent people from circumventing (迴避) the waste charging scheme. Choy is worried that a similar situation may arise in Hong Kong.