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The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) reported today (May 22) that the pilot scheme on municipal solid waste charging is making good progress overall and the seven participating housing estates have scheduled to begin trials of their chosen charging modes progressively starting at the end of this month.
The seven participating estates are Amoy Gardens, Chai Wan Estate, Chun Seen Mei Chuen, Island Resort, Kwong Tin Estate, Tak Tin Estate and the Orchards. These estates will try out one or more of the charging modes and their progress is as follows:
* Amoy Gardens and Island Resort started their baseline surveys on April 23 and 24 respectively and have scheduled to start trials of three charging modes, namely "Weight-based by buildings", "Volume-based by buildings" and "Volume-based by households", on May 23 and June 1 respectively;
* Chun Seen Mei Chuen and the Orchards started their baseline surveys on April 28 and May 5 respectively and have scheduled to start trials of the "Volume-based by building" charging mode on June 1; and
* Tak Tin Estate started the baseline survey on May 15 while Kwong Tin Estate and Chai Wan Estate are expected to begin theirs on July 1. Both Tak Tin Estate and Kwong Tin Estate will try out all three charging modes while Chai Wan Estate will try out two, namely "Weight-based by buildings" and "Volume-based by households".
The purpose of the pilot scheme is to collect views and accumulate experience with a view to better understanding the practical operational arrangements for the implementation of municipal solid waste charging in the future. The pilot scheme comprises two stages. The first is a one-month baseline survey to collect data on waste disposal for future comparison. This will be followed by a five-month trial of the chosen volume-based charging modes. They are (i) "Weight-based by buildings", under which the property management company (PMC) will pay a mock waste charge based on the weight of the waste disposed of by the whole building at $500 per tonne; (ii) "Volume-based by buildings", under which the PMC will pay a mock waste charge based on the volume of waste disposed of by the whole building at $66 per bin (each with a volume of 660 litres); and (iii) "Volume-based by households", under which individual households will purchase designated garbage bags priced at $1 per 10-litre bag on average.
A spokesman for the EPD said, "There have been technical limitations in introducing charges during the pilot scheme. While the mock charges will not be part of government revenues, the data collected could provide a good basis for future reference."
The spokesman added that the EPD has appointed service contractors to conduct necessary support services at the participating estates. These services will include enhancement of recycling support facilities within the estates, free supply of designated garbage bags, daily measurement of waste disposal and the amount of recyclables, monitoring of compliance within the estates, analysis and reporting on trends of waste disposal and mock charges, provision of publicity and environmental education, and carrying out opinion surveys. Upon the conclusion of the pilot scheme, the EPD will compile a report to summarise the results and experience of the trial. The EPD will also update the Council for Sustainable Development (SDC) on the latest developments to facilitate the provision of comprehensive recommendations on the operational details by the SDC.
Ends/Thursday, May 22, 2014
Issued at HKT 12:35
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