CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia held a forum entitled 'Municipal Solid Waste Charging' at Zero Carbon Building in Kowloon Bay on 25 April.  The forum, under the 'Environment and Climate Change Forum Series', gathered engineering, environmental and academic experts to discuss and share their insights on municipal solid waste charging. Some 150 participants from public or private sectors, local schools and tertiary institutions took part in the event.

Ir Kenny Wong (photo), principal consultant of the Hong Kong Productivity Council and Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Waste Management Association, was the keynote speaker.  Other guest speakers included Mr. Angus Ho, executive director of Greeners Action, and Dr. Eric Tsang, associate professor at the Department of Science and Environmental Studies of the Hong Kong Institute of Education. The forum was chaired by Prof. Steve Yim, assistant professor, Department of Geography and Resource Management, CUHK.

At the forum, Mr. Wong pointed out that municipal solid waste charging scheme could provide an incentive to reduce waste and thus promote positive behavioural changes. The four factors critical to the success of a waste charging scheme include: the charging mechanism, the scheme's coverage, the charging level and the availability of waste recycling facilities. To solve the waste problem, apart from adopting novel waste treatment facilities, it takes collaboration among the government, the commercial sector and the community.

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