4 January 2021
Hon Frankie Yick Chi-ming, SBS, JP Chairman The Bills Committee on Waste Disposal (Charging for Municipal Solid Waste) Legislative Council Complex 1 Legislative Council Road Central, Hong Kong
Dear Mr Yick,
Statement of Support for a Municipal Solid Waste (“MSW”) Charging Scheme in Hong Kong
The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (“HKGCC”) welcomes and supports the Government’s continuing efforts to take forward a bill to implement a charging scheme for the purpose of reducing MSW.
We are pleased to note that a Legislative Council’s Bills Committee was formed on 16 October 2020 to again study the bill following a previous attempt to do so during the previous legislative term. Efforts to reduce MSW at source have become even more important if Hong Kong were to mount a meaningful green recovery after the current pandemic. As an advocate of the polluters-pay principle, we believe that such a charging scheme would lay a useful foundation for Hong Kong to manage waste in a more responsible and effective manner and to reverse the pace of waste generation, which has far exceeded the rate of population growth over the past three decades.
The implementation of a charging scheme is also consistent with the global movement towards responsible consumption and aligns with the Council for Sustainable Development’s recommendations for Hong Kong to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. With that in mind, it is imperative that there are appropriate policies in place to reduce waste, encourage recycling, and promote low-carbon lifestyles.
To that end, HKGCC looks forward to working with the Government in bringing the MSW Charging Scheme into fruition in the interest of sustaining Hong Kong’s competitiveness and liveability over the long term.
Yours sincerely,
George Leung
CEO
cc: Mr Wong Kam-sing, GBS, JP, Secretary for the Environment
Clerk to Panel on Environmental Affairs
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