Editorial | Best not dump Hong Kong waste scheme for good
- City should seize the opportunity to revive the plan, adjust the goals and strategy, and rally public support
The indefinite shelving of the pay-as-you-throw scheme, after repeated trials and delays over the past two decades, may have been a tough decision for the government. The road ahead is just as difficult.
From adjusting the goals and strategy to rallying public support, officials cannot afford to waste the opportunity.
The much-touted levy was tossed aside after the latest trial at 14 sites concluded that the public was not ready for it. Much defending of the embarrassing U-turn has been heard, but a way forward has yet to be clearly articulated.
For instance, officials said the scheme had not been abandoned, but could not tell when it would be ready for another go. There is not even a tentative timetable or road map as to how to get society prepared again.
There also were concerns about whether Hong Kong was seeking to simply dump rubbish across the border for incineration, after Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan suggested closer collaboration with the Greater Bay Area on waste management. The government later clarified that Tse was referring to exploring joint efforts to develop a green industry, the relevant facilities for recycling and to turn waste into resources.
