Lawmaker Agnes Lam submitted an oral interpellation last month, inquiring as to why the government’s efforts in waste treatment have not worked out.
Lam quoted data showing that the incinerator of Macau handled 504,000 tons of solid waste in 2016, an average of 1,377 tons per day – of which 38% was kitchen waste.
She also listed the recycling rates (as a proportion of recycled to non-recycled waste) of several places, finding Macau’s was likely to be incredibly low compared with that of Taiwan (57%) and Hong Kong (34%).
The government has pledged to reduce daily waste disposal from 2.16kg per person in 2016 to 1.5kg per person in 2026, by charging for waste creation, encouraging recycling, and investing in waste handling facilities.
However, a recent study showed that individuals and businesses were not aware of the various government incentives encouraging them to reduce, reuse, and recycle. The waste collected in 2016 was more than the government had expected. Therefore, the lawmaker inquires as to why this was the case.
In addition, Lam also questioned plans to impose a waste levy on waste makers, as well as to set up an environment fund to support recycling acts and facilities.
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