“There is a considerable gap in their opinions,” Tse said. “A few of them thought it was a good thing for us to sort garbage and reduce waste. But we have seen that a majority feel this is a nuisance, perhaps because they need to buy [designated] bags and do other things.”
The pilot run launched earlier this month and covers 14 premises including private and public housing estates, restaurants, retailers and care homes.
The initiative aims to gauge the city’s preparedness for the scheme’s citywide roll-out in August.
The environmental minister also said the participation rate at managed private housing estates was more than 50 per cent, with the figure for businesses exceeding that.
Authorities initially planned to launch the wider scheme last December, but opted to postpone after the cleaning services sector warned of a possible build-up in waste over festive periods.
Plans to launch on April 1 were later amended amid growing concerns about whether the scheme had been effectively promoted to the public.
In Saturday’s programme, Tse said authorities would decide how to proceed after looking over feedback from the trial run in around May or June.
The government-issued rubbish bags could also be tweaked after authorities received complaints from participating care homes during the trial run.
The pay-as-you-throw scheme was initially proposed in 2005 during then leader Donald Tsang Yam-kuen’s administration, but a bill only cleared the Legislative Council in 2021 after numerous delays.
Wong Kam-sing, a former environment minister, earlier this month urged the public to support the scheme by “facing up and overcoming the challenges”.
Tse told the TV show that while authorities would grapple with the challenges of promoting recycling and waste reduction, “we will not go against the views of the public”.
‘Smart’ food waste bin scheme may cover smaller Hong Kong private estates from June
‘Smart’ food waste bin scheme may cover smaller Hong Kong private estates from June
But the minister also noted the proposal to introduce waste charging had garnered widespread support in a public engagement exercise held a decade ago.
“I believe when people are talking about just an idea, everyone will agree with it. When we talk about environmental protection, people support environmental protection,” Tse said.
“But when it actually becomes mandatory law and it is about to be implemented, people may feel differently. I think there are many factors contributing to that.”
Tse also said it was unlikely authorities could install enough food waste bins at all residential buildings before August, noting the public might need to walk a little to dispose of their leftovers.
