climatecrisis
Pro-establishment lawmaker Rebecca Chan has urged the government to postpone the waste charging scheme for a second time, citing a survey conducted by the legislator which showed a large percentage of interviewees supported a delay. The online survey, conducted from April 30 to May 6, collected 959 effective responses. Chan said at a press conference on Thursday that, while 58 per cent of people supported recycling and waste reduction, 78.1 per cent said they “agreed” or “highly agreed” to postpone the official roll-out of the waste tax. The waste tax, a policy to encourage recycling by asking...
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong officials have warned against thrill-seeking activities such as chasing storms and searching for big ocean waves during extreme weather, saying offenders could face jail time and a fine. Undersecretary for Security Michael Cheuk said on Thursday authorities are considering invoking legislation that would close beaches and country parks under extreme weather. Violators could face a HK$2,000 fine and 14 days in jail. “Do not attempt to defy nature for the sake of thrill-seeking or satisfaction, because you will not succeed,” Cheuk told reporters in Cantonese. Cheuk added that the lives...
Hong Kong Free Press
A green group has called for a phased rollout of a controversial waste charging scheme, whereby it could cover most government premises but exclude public housing estates when it takes effect this August. In an open letter, environmental group The Green Earth urged the government to roll out the waste tax in phases, requiring government premises – including their offices, public schools, government staff quarters, and government-operated malls and factory estates – to take part. Public rental housing estates, however, should be exempt from the tax in the proposed first phase of the charging sc...
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong authorities have said a road in Sai Kung that was partially closed due to a landslide on Saturday should reopen by Monday morning, after the city saw its first red rainstorm of the year. After inspecting an affected section of Clear Water Bay Road, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung said that workers were carrying out “temporary consolidation work” by spraying concrete onto the slope. “Our contractor and the Highways Department will keep monitoring the situation here,” Lam told reporters. “We’ll also liaise with the observatory to see if the weather will worsen, and w...
Hong Kong Free Press
The government has urged employers of outdoor workers to develop their own rules to prevent heatstroke after rolling out revisions to an official warning system that was slammed as ineffective and disruptive when introduced last year. The adjustments were made after stakeholders aired views to the Labour Department, Deputy Commissioner for Occupational Safety and Health Vincent Fung told RTHK on Friday. The pilot scheme was not originally due for review for two years. The Labour Department launched the revisions on Thursday to minimise situations in which a heat warning is cancelled and then r...
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong’s ban on single-use plastics is going smoothly, Chief Executive John Lee has said, despite confusion surrounding how the rules are being implemented and poor compliance. Speaking at his weekly press briefing on Tuesday, the city’s leader said more people were purchasing reusable alternatives, suggesting that Hongkongers were beginning to change their daily habits. See also: Restaurants slow to adopt eco-friendly alternatives as Hong Kong’s ban on single-use plastics takes effect “Generally speaking, from what I can see, [the single-use plastics ban] has been smooth and orderly,” he s...
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong restaurants have been slow to switch to eco-friendly alternatives following the single-use plastics ban enacted on Monday, with many still using disposables. Single-use plastics including straws and utensils are forbidden under the ban. Restaurants have a six-month grace period to comply with the new rules, under which the government will not take enforcement actions. As the transition began on Monday, coinciding with Earth Day, chain eateries have been quicker to make the transition than smaller restaurants. Of the eight eateries visited by HKFP, only two had started using paper con...
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong’s Environment and Ecology Bureau is not participating in a trial of the city’s waste charging scheme, saying that the way rubbish was collected from its location in the Central Government Offices made it “not a suitable location.” First suggested by the government in 2005 before becoming law in 2021, the waste charging scheme was in January postponed from its April 1 launch date until August. Environment chief Tse Chin-wan cited public misunderstanding of the policy as the reason. At the time, Tse added that the scheme would be trialled by government offices from April, saying “then ...
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong’s ban on single-use plastics began on Monday, coinciding with Earth Day. A variety of disposable plastic tableware and other plastic products are now prohibited from being sold or taken away. The first six months following the roll-out will be an “adaptation period,” which means the government will not take enforcement action against non-compliant businesses. The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said in an April briefing session that it will focus on “promotion and education” during this period, and send staff to inspect around 20,000 restaurants and 20,000 retail stores as ...
Hong Kong Free Press
Once again our government appears lost as it contemplates how to manage Hong Kong’s growing mountain of garbage. The logic of the endlessly postponed solid waste charging scheme is clear: if you charge residents to throw rubbish away, they will seek to minimise the charge by sorting it for recycling. Behaviour change. However, critical infrastructure and incentives are missing from the solid waste management scheme. Political leadership that prioritises the issue is also apparently absent. Rather, the government hasembarked on yet another trial to better understand the problems. In Hong Kong s...
Hong Kong Free Press
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