The bill on Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) charging is still under Bills Committees’ scrutiny in Legislative Council. Despite various historic moments, including the coronavirus outbreak, experienced over the past year, the key to rewrite Hong Kong’s history and protecting our environment rests in the hands of everyone as well as all Legislative Council members.
Every step, from the advocacy by environmental groups to the overwhelming support by the members of the public and then the Bill submission to Legco by the government, was the cornerstone of achievements over the past decades. What on earth are we waiting for? Some believe that this is not the right time under the pandemic, while minor issues like MSW charging should be put aside. It should be a no-brainer to focus our efforts in preventing coronavirus at this very moment, but scrutinizing the bill is as important as fighting the virus. The bill is a visionary act to address future environmental problems as the city is flooding with plastic waste, wastepaper becomes “priceless” and food waste remains the biggest source of waste in landfills. Such “business as usual” will surly contribute to the piles of garbage surrounding town in the very near future. Furthermore, there is no “trivial matter” when people’s livelihood is at stake so are we still insisting on turning a cold shoulder towards the Bill? Someone complained that the hiccup in the House Committees makes the effort of scrutiny in vain. However, there is no doubt that details of the bill should at least be scrutinized and fully discussed in the Bills committee in preparation for the resumption of House Committee’s discussion. We should never give up without a fight at this very moment!
At the same time, CA suggests the Legislative Council to discuss and pass every relevant subsidiary legislation under the Product Eco-responsibility Ordinance and the Government should give due support to the local recycling industry, thus enhancing the effectiveness of MSW charging. There is a Chinese saying, “Man proposes, God disposes.” At this crucial time, those who are supposed to convene meetings, discuss and explain the bill to stakeholders, address the public’s concerns on the bill are all hesitant to propose. So, are we just going to sit and wait for God to dispose then? Over the past few months, we have all witnessed the unity and determination from everyone in the fight against the Coronavirus outbreak in Hong Kong. After all, we are all responsible for the generation of waste so let’s protect our environment by a collective effort of will and determination!
