Hong Kong's 'pay-as-you-throw' waste disposal put on hold

Restaurant leftovers

Hong Kong's catering industry, which deals with large amounts of food waste every day, is concerned about the extra costs involved with waste-disposal charges, given the sector's general slump. In March alone, an estimated 200 to 300 restaurants closed, according to industry figures.

"A 2,000-square-foot (185.8-square-meter) restaurant would incur an additional cost of HK$8,000-HK$10,000 per month just for purchasing the designated bags," said Winston Yeung, chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurant and Related Trades. A restaurant chain could spend up to HK$10 million a year on the bags, a figure Yeung described as "terrifying".

While there will be short-term economic pressures, he acknowledged that charging for waste disposal could benefit restaurants in the long run as they will be forced to optimize operations and reduce food waste.

He suggested that the government prioritize education about the program and encourage reducing the amount of food waste, rather than solely relying on charging fees.

In a citywide survey conducted a few weeks before the shelving of the program, less than half of the respondents said they knew the aim of the initiative was to reduce waste. Over 20 percent believed the program was being introduced to increase government revenue.

Lawmaker Chan Hoi-yan, who organized the survey, said the existing facilities were inadequate for the program's implementation. "People just feel robbed," she told reporters.

Lawrence Iu Chun-yip, executive director of Civic Exchange, a Hong Kong-based think tank focusing on environmental challenges, said it was important to reverse the public's perception that waste charging was being introduced simply to impose fines.

Iu said the communication gap between the HKSAR government, industries and the public, which was exposed during the program's trial run, had prevented waste charging from being implemented in recent years. As the initiator of the program, the government needs to take more responsibility to promote it in different sectors, he added.