Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, at a media session after officiating at the launching ceremony of municipal solid waste (MSW) charging trial projects and the fourth batch of MSW charging community involvement projects this afternoon (November 12):

Reporter: Mr Wong, given the MSW charging will be introduced to the Legislative Council, do you think it is time to also review the waste reduction targets for 2022? The latest trend seems to suggest we are getting into the wrong way. Are we putting too much pressure on MSW charging to live up to that target?

Secretary for the Environment: The Government is promoting waste reduction in Hong Kong as a whole and there are various means to achieve the waste reduction target. Certainly among those issues, the municipal solid waste charging is one of the very important initiatives to drive behavioural change, thereby resulting in waste reduction. As shown in the pilot schemes and trial schemes, in different situations, from residential estates to commercial and non-commercial sectors, it can demonstrate the reduction of waste to a substantial amount and also to improve the recycling rate to a certain level. It is a good direction that we can ride on to get closer to the target as set out in the blueprint (Hong Kong: Blueprint for Sustainable Use of Resources 2013-2022) earlier.

Reporter: It might be in the right direction but will you achieve those targets?

Secretary for the Environment: The direction is the key concern. We would like to get closer and nearer to the target as set out in the blueprint.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

Ends/Monday, November 12, 2018
Issued at HKT 17:26

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