Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Charging Mechanism
MSW charging is based on the "polluter-pays" principle. All waste disposed of by residential and non-residential premises (including commercial and industrial properties) in Hong Kong will be subject to charging based on its quantity.
MSW charging is levied in the following two modes:
- Mode 1 "Charging by Designated Bags"：charging by pre-paid designated garbage bags/designated labels. "Pre-paid" means the government charges fees through the sale of designated bags/labels before waste disposal. The price of a designated bag is linked to its capacity (i.e., also linked to the quantity of waste); and
- Mode 2 “Charging by Weight”：charging by weight-based "gate-fee" at refuse transfer stations or landfills (waste disposal facilities).
The charging mode depends on the waste collection mode of the premises. In general, if the premises uses the following waste collection modes, "Charging by designated bags" will be applicable:
- waste collected by the refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) or its contractors (whether or not RCVs with rear compactors are used);
- waste collected by private waste collectors (PWCs) using RCVs with rear compactors; or
- waste disposed of by waste producers themselves/waste collection staff at the FEHD's refuse collection points (RCPs) (including bin sites).
As the FEHD’s service scope mainly covers residential buildings, "charging by designated bags" applies to most residential buildings in Hong Kong.
If the premises hires PWCs to collect waste using RCVs without rear compactors, "charging by weight" applies.
To comply with the "polluter-pays" principle, regardless of which of the aforementioned charging mode(s) is/are adopted, the waste producers (e.g., individual owners/households) are responsible for the concerned charges, which should not be passed on to any party among the property management companies (PMCs) /cleansing contractors/private waste collectors.
PMCs and practitioners should determine the applicable mode of charging for their managed premises soonest possible, and maintain close contact with owners’ organisations, households and cleansing contractors, so as to assist relevant stakeholders in preparing for MSW Charging.
