Majority of parliamentarians support suspension of waste disposal

On Monday, parliamentarians were largely positive about the decision to suspend the pay-as-you-throw system.

Speaking to reporters after a Legislative Council meeting, Roundtable MP Michael Tien said the ultimate goal of the program was to promote recycling and reduce waste, but acknowledged that there were misconceptions among the public about the plan.

“The public has misunderstood that this whole thing is actually a poll tax, which means that everyone has to start paying more taxes because everyone has to produce garbage,” he explained.

“Most people don’t realise that that’s not the end goal. The end goal is to reduce waste generation. That means collecting and separating the garbage so that some of it can be recycled. The whole world is doing that and I can’t believe that Hong Kong should just surrender and forget about it.”

Third-party lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen said authorities should not abandon the garbage fee system entirely.

“We insist that this policy be implemented because it is about environmental protection. We are disappointed that the government has not been adequately prepared to implement this policy over the past two years,” he added.

However, DAB MP Elizabeth Quat supported the government’s move to postpone the program, calling it “impractical.”

Quat called on the government to continue to educate the public and support the city’s recycling industry.

“I think now is a very good time for the government to promote recycling and waste reduction. Because through this educational process, many citizens believe that they want to support environmental protection and participate in waste reduction,” she added.

Quat also suggested that the government introduce additional incentives, such as a bonus system, to encourage people to adopt an environmentally friendly lifestyle.