Lawmakers differ on pushing or shelving waste charging
Lawmakers on Friday were divided on the way forward for the planned citywide waste charging scheme, with one believing the policy should not go to waste.  In a paper to the Legislative Council, the administration said people who took part in a trial believed the measure was causing a nuisance to the public and complained the designated bags would be too expensive.  Legislator Tik Chi-yuen, from the Third Side, said the city should continue pushing for the pay-as-you-throw scheme. “We have sufficient conditions to continue with the plan. It doesn't matter what the policy will be called, whether it's a second phase of the trial, or operating it in different modes," Tik told reporters.  "We should introduce this scheme to places with management capabilities, including public housing, subsidised housing, large-scale private residential estates, as well as premises of the government and the public sector." But DAB lawmaker, Edward Lau, said the government should shelve the waste charging scheme "indefinitely". He said introducing the policy on schedule would cause chaos. "The government should hold off on introducing the scheme and look into areas that should be improved. That's because many issues were reflected in the report and it's impossible to fail to deal with them," Lau said.  "Only when conditions permit and the timing is right, then the government can bring it back to Legco for discussions." Kwok Wai-keung from the Federation of Trade Unions said it could be worth amending the time frame in which to roll out the scheme.  "Other than strengthening our recycling facilities, we hope the government can provide a detailed timetable. If we are going to carry out works on waste charging and reduction, the government should say how many stages should there be," Kwok said.  He also said there should be a test run for everyone to take part in Hong Kong.