Modified waste charging announced

The Environment Bureau announced modifications to the Government’s proposed charging scheme for municipal solid waste in October 2017. The changes will expand the use of pre-paid designated garbage bags, and will scrap the transitional arrangement of bin counting.

Under the revised rules, the use of pre-paid designated garbage bags will be expanded to cover not only waste producers using the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department’s waste collection service, but also most residential and commercial buildings whose rubbish is collected by private waste collectors using collection vehicles with rear compactors. For waste that is bulky or irregular in shape, they will continue to be subject to a gate fee as they cannot fit in the garbage bags. It has also offered to provide a monthly subsidy of HK$ 10 per person for Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme recipients to lessen their financial burden after the charging scheme beings. You can read more details from the related Press Release.