Most Hongkongers would pay to have their rubbish taken away, but trust in city’s recycling needs rebuilding, survey finds
- Two-thirds of those polled also said paying 11 HK cents per litre of rubbish was an acceptable price
- The scheme would see most of the city’s waste disposed of in government-mandated plastic bags, with a fee of HK$1.1 for every 10-litre bag
Nearly 70 per cent of Hongkongers believe a delayed mandatory waste-charging scheme should be implemented, a survey by a local think tank has found.
The survey comes as a Legislative Council meeting to discuss the scheme, which was originally scheduled for next Tuesday, was delayed until early June, according to Frankie Yick Chi-ming, who chairs the bills committee studying the plan.
Two-thirds of more than 1,000 residents polled by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute for Civic Exchange also said paying 11 HK cents per litre of rubbish was an acceptable price.
“These results offer optimism for Hong Kong and reflect that residents support the Polluter Pays principle, and understand they can lessen the burden on the recycling system if they work with industries to reduce waste at the source,” Lawrence Iu, programme manager at Civic Exchange, said.
“However, the results also show our recycling and waste disposal infrastructures require a significant update and trust to be rebuilt in the system.”
