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Hong Kong waste-charging scheme: trial run has revealed many ‘problems’, senior official says
- Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk hints full roll-out of pay-as-you-throw scheme will not go ahead in August without public consensus
- City leader John Lee, also visiting frontline workers on Labour Day, vows to review ‘every single element’ of twice-delayed scheme
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An ongoing trial run of a controversial waste-charging scheme has revealed a number of “problems”, a senior Hong Kong official has conceded, while hinting the full roll-out will not go ahead in August without public consensus.
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Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing and Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu made separate visits to frontline cleaners on Labour Day on Wednesday to show appreciation for their contributions to society, with the city leader vowing to review “every single element” of the twice-delayed scheme as he encouraged workers to relay any concerns to the government.
Referring to the pay-as-you-throw initiative after visiting a restaurant in Mong Kok, Cheuk said: “According to our initial observations, there are many problems. We think that if we need to push ahead with the waste-charging scheme, we must have consensus and support from Hong Kong people.”
Cheuk, who heads an interdepartmental group overseeing the trial run, added that the city had to be ready on various fronts before the scheme could be implemented smoothly.
“This policy directly affects 7 million people in Hong Kong. We cannot [take it lightly],” he said.
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The trial run began on April 1, covering 14 locations including public and private residential buildings, restaurants, residential care homes, shopping malls and government buildings.
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