Deputy President, the Government has all along paid insufficient attention to its environmental protection policy, and has failed to draw up any long-term and comprehensive planning, thus making our waste recovery and recycling efforts lag behind the situation in countries and places which lay emphasis on environmental protection. And, the disparity is rather wide too. Recently, in an eager attempt to solve the landfill problem, the Government has been canvassing for support all around. Had the authorities planned well ahead, they would not have been plunged into such a passive situation.

Although Hong Kong's waste recovery volume has increased in recent years, the volume of waste recycled and processed locally has remained low all the time. According to a report entitled "Monitoring of Solid Waste in Hong Kong" published by the Environmental Protection Department, the volume of solid waste recovery stood at 3.02 million tonnes in 2011, and 98.5% of these recyclable materials were exported to China or other countries. Only 44 000 tonnes were recycled locally, accounting for 1.5% of the total volume. In 2004, 200 000 tonnes of recyclable materials were recycled locally, and this accounted for 8.7% of the total waste recovery volume. The recyclable materials which are recycled locally have shown marked decline in both recovery volume and rate. This shows that the local recycling industry is shrinking.

Deputy President, a recovery industry that relies too much on export through intermediaries is easily affected by uncontrollable factors. The 2008 financial tsunami caused a drastic drop of 65% in the recovery price of waste papers in Hong Kong. This was compounded by rises in rents and wages. Seeing that there was no profit to reap, recovery operators gradually downsized their business. Moreover, due to the Operation Green Fence recently launched by the Mainland to tighten the import of waste, the waste originally for export to the Mainland was transported back to Hong Kong by recovery operators through a process of subcontracting for dumping in the landfills. Our situation is rather passive. If the Government clings to the policy of positive non-intervention and the local recovery industry also sticks to its traditional practices, we frankly fail to see any possibility of improvement to Hong Kong's waste handling problem, and the pollution problem will only get worse.

Secretary for the Environment Mr WONG Kam-sing has recently disclosed for the first time that the Government will set up a steering committee to provide cross-department support to the recovery industry, and will establish a recovery fund with public money to provide land or direct subsidies to recovery operators for purchasing and handling waste materials of low market value, such as waste plastics and timber. The Government's attitude towards the recycling industry has finally undergone a breakthrough. I must express my support here. The authorities have finally come to regard recovery operators and garbage collectors as scavengers of our city and decided to provide them with appropriate subsidies. Such a change in mentality is of very great importance, because it will enable the Government to adopt an even more open attitude and discard any unnecessary fear in the course of taking forward its environmental protection policies.Regarding the support measures due to be launched, I have the following suggestions:

First, the provision of subsidies by the authorities to the recycling industry must be coupled with a comprehensive tracking and monitoring mechanism, so as to ensure that the enterprises or organizations in receipt of government subsidies will spend all of the public money on waste recovery and recycling. The authorities may even set down severe penalties to punish those recovery and recycling operators who do not discharge their responsibility after receiving subsidies.

Regarding recycled products, the Government should establish an assessment mechanism. The purpose is to ensure that recycled articles or products can all be put to use, and will not end up in the landfills and cause a second round of resource wastage. In order to avoid the manufacturing of any recycled products that go against the green cause and ensure the proper use of public money, the Government should draw up a comprehensive certification and tracking system.

Second, the Government should draw on the strength of the community to promote waste recovery and separation. Hong Kong is a tiny and densely populated place. Its population is concentrated in the 18 districts, and in each district, there are a DC and various non-profit-making organizations. They have all been making silent contribution to the green cause. In the absence of any government funding, many of them have been raising their own funds or depending on voluntary workers to sustain their operation. They have in fact amassed substantial experience in waste recovery and handling. With government subsidies, they will be able to expand their existing scales of waste recovery. They may also hire a greater number of low-income and underprivileged people to take part in waste recovery, thus helping those in need to resolve the unemployment problem. 

To support the abovementioned non-profit-making organizations, the Government should consider the formulation of some preferential policies, such as increased funding and provision of land. If each district can identify suitable sites under government co-ordination for the establishment of several or even many waste recovery centres, it will be possible to reduce waste transportation cost on the one hand, and boost in-district employment and show the Government's commitment to the green cause on the other.

Deputy President, waste recovery is not a responsibility of the Government alone; it is also a responsibility of the general public. Any sole reliance on public money to provide subsidies cannot be a long-term solution. The experience of the plastic shopping bag levy can show us that the public are willing to contribute to the green cause. As long as the Government can come up with an appropriate policy, it will not be difficult to forge a social consensus on requiring people to support waste separation at source or even to pay an appropriate levy. There are many successful overseas examples which Hong Kong can follow. It is not quite so true that there can be no solution to the waste problem in Hong Kong. The only problem is whether the Government can make proactive commitment, formulate early planning and take active and effective actions.

Deputy President, I so submit.