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| Disposing trash on the streets, in unmarked bags, will be forbidden starting on Aug 1 |
A trial run of the government’s twice-delayed Municipal Solid Waste Charging Scheme (MSW) began today, Monday, at 14 different places across Hong Kong, despite some residents saying they are unclear about the rules.
During the test run which is being held in a select
group of public and private housing estates, a government office block, shopping centers, care homes and restaurant,
the government will gather information ahead of the mandatory implementation of
the law on August 1.
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| PINDUTIN PARA DETALYE |
Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk, who is leading
an inter-departmental working group on the scheme, said the authorities will use
the trial to determine the way forward for the policy.
"[The working group] will take a comprehensive
look at this trial, because there are a lot of aspects for us to monitor, such
as people's participation, their understanding and acceptance of the scheme,
and the amount of garbage and recyclables," Cheuk said.
Under the so-called Waste
Charging Scheme, all rubbish generated by residential and non-residential
premises, including commercial and industrial buildings, will incur charges
based on the amount of waste disposed of.
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| TAWAG NA! |
This will be made possible by requiring all
households and businesses to use designated bags or labels (for bigger pieces
of trash) when disposing of their rubbish.
As early as February this year, the designated bags
and designated labels were already made available for purchase at authorized
outlets such as supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies and online
platforms.
The designated garbage bags come in different sizes,
and can hold waste matters weighing between 3L to 100L. Each 3-liter bag costs
33 cents while the 100L ones cost $11 each. All the bags should be filled to only 70% of their capacity before being dumped in the bins.
The garbage tags which should be attached to each large
piece of rubbish being disposed of, such as furniture and appliances, will cost
$11.
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| PINDUTIN DITO |
To incur lower fees, everyone is encouraged to
recycle, with the government promising to provide more easily accessible recycling points.
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| Under current rules, leaving trash beside rubbish bins could result in $3k fine |
While the new rules will take effect on August 1, a six-month grace period will be enforced, during which offenders will be let off with verbal warnings.
After this period, enforcement will be exercised
based on a risk-based approach, with particular attention being given to places
with a high incidence of violations. Offenders will be issued fixed penalty
tickets amounting to $1,500 each, with serious and repeat offenders being
issued court summons, and meted a possibly higher penalty.
In October last year, the government raised the fixed
penalty for the illegal disposal of large amount of waste materials or
unauthorized shop front extensions to $6,000.
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| PADALA NA! |
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