Exclusive | Hong Kong waste-charging scheme ‘set for yet another delay’, with some advisers warning against pushing ahead
- Some advisers warn of blow to government’s standing if it pushes ahead with controversial initiative in August, Post learns
- ‘Current administration under Lee has just built his reputation and this scheme will dampen it if it’s launched without thorough planning,’ source says
Hong Kong is most likely to again defer its twice-postponed waste-charging scheme, with some advisers warning of a loss of public trust if the government pushes ahead with the controversial initiative in August, the Post has learned.
Sources also said that senior officials had started paving the way for the U-turn – which is expected to be made later this month – by acknowledging in their public speeches since Wednesday the problems residents encountered during a trial run.
The government had earlier pushed back the scheme, which would require residents to use designated rubbish bags available in nine sizes at a cost of 30 HK cents (4 US cents) to HK$11 (US$1.41), from April to August amid public confusion.
Authorities also ordered a trial run involving 14 premises to identify weak spots in how residents will deal with the waste-charging scheme.
Two insiders familiar with the discussion said top advisers in the government’s key decision-making body, the Executive Council, had warned Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and other officials about the problems of pushing forward the scheme over the past months, even though the item was not officially on the agenda.
“This is affecting the whole of Hong Kong, especially the low-income groups,” a source said. “The current administration under Lee has just built his reputation and this scheme will dampen it if it’s launched without thorough planning.”
