An environmental organization is hoping to remuster support from Legislative Councilors in a campaign to urge the government to implement its commitments on volume-based waste disposal charges and a producer responsibility scheme.

By Tuesday morning, 26 Legislative Councilors had voiced support for the two policies, according to questionnaires sent to all lawmakers last week by the Friends of the Earth environment group, said a senior environmental affairs officer Michelle Au.

The organization expects the Environmental Bureau to draft a proposal on the producer responsibility scheme for waste electrical and electronic equipment by the year end, and conduct public consultation on volume-based waste charges before the end of next year. Au noted the government promised to implement the two policies as early as 2005. Neither policy has come to fruition. The proposal that producers of waste must take responsibility only came to the end of public consultation in April.

She stressed the two policies are key solutions to the increasingly serious solid waste management problem in Hong Kong, in that they encourage waste reduction.

"South Korea and Taiwan are both successful cases," Au added. The amount of waste dropped by 44 percent in South Korea from 1994 to 2000. The percentage in Taipei dropped by 60 points, since the waste charges were applied in 2002. On the contrary, Hong Kong's waste has been increasing. In 2009 it had gone up 7.3 percent over three years ago.

The government has proposed to extend all three landfill sites in Hong Kong, because all are approaching maximum capacity.

Au criticized the government on grounds that it has become over-reliant on the "expensive end-of-pipe solution" like landfill and incineration.

"The only way is to reduce the amount of the waste. We don't have to extend the landfill sites today; we have to do it another day," she added.

A government spokesman was non-committal about the proposals. He said the Environmental Bureau is analyzing over 2,700 submissions received during the public consultation on the producer responsibility scheme. The statement did not say when a detailed proposal will be ready.

On the proposed changes regarding charges for municipal solid waste disposal, the bureau's response was even more vague. "Due to its extensive and far-reaching impact to the public, we must carefully study and fully consult the public," a spokesman said.

China Daily

(HK Edition 10/13/2010 page1)