I am writing to inform you about the announcement made by the government regarding the implementation of the citywide waste charging scheme.  On May 27th, Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk addressed the Legislative Council and disclosed that the scheme, which was originally planned to commence on August 1st, will not be implemented as scheduled. 

The Labour Department has launched a three-year “Pilot Rehabilitation Programme for Employees Injured at Work” (Pilot Programme) targeting at injured construction employees on 23 September 2022.  

To enhance the trade and the public's understanding of Charging for Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), the Environment Protection Department (EPD) has produced various training videos, including videos on how catering trades, hotels, industrial and commercial buildings, waste collectors and residential buildings can cope with refuse charging. The Department has also collaborated with the Property Management Services Authority (PMSA) to produce a series of training videos on PMCs.

On 21 February 2024, the Federation together with the Hon Perry YIU, LegCo Member (Travel Industry), Hong Kong Hotels Association and Hotel Controllers & Accountants Association of Hong Kong met with the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) to discuss the concerns and recommendations raised by the hotel trade regarding the amendments in the Product Eco-responsibility (Amendment) Bill 2023 for regulating disposable plastic tableware and other plastic products. 

The Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Charging Scheme will be implemented on 1 August 2024. MSW charging is based on the "polluter-pays" principle. All wastes disposed of by residential and non-residential (including commercial and industrial sectors) premises in Hong Kong will be subject to charging based on its quantity.

It is a general consensus in our society to speed up the pace of going "plastic-free". The "Product Eco-responsibility (Amendment) Bill 2023" for the regulation of disposable plastic tableware and other plastic products was passed by the Legislative Council on October 18, 2023, and will come into force starting from April 22, 2024.  Details of the regulation can be found at the Environmental Protection Department's (EPD) thematic website "Cut The Plastics" (www.cuttheplastics.hk/index.php/en/). 

On behalf of the Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners, we would like to express our appreciation for the latest announcement by the Environment and Ecology Bureau to defer the implementation date of the Municipal Solid Waste Charging Scheme to 1st August 2024.