Staff from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department were seen unloading spanking new rubbish bins on city streets today. Oriental Daily reports that the new litter containers have been introduced to parts of Wan Chai and Yau Tsim Mong districts.
The bins, which were announced last week, have smaller mouths… which we’re told will help people chuck their rubbish properly. (How, exactly?) A statement released by the government said the bins were designed to stop people from placing garbage on top of, or around bins.
The new bins also feature larger stickers to warn people about the hefty HKD1,500 fine they risk incurring by disposing of litter incorrectly. Stickers, eh? Seems like Trevor Noah was right when he said the Hong Kong government takes a “crafty” (as in, arts and crafts) approach to problem-solving.
Last year, 15 percent of Hong Kong’s bins were removed from the streets to reduce waste. According to the government, hygiene standards remained “satisfactory”, and further reductions to the number of bins on city streets could be made in the future.
In addition, LegCo is expected to discuss the introduction of a waste-charging scheme (like the ones already in place in Taipei, Singapore, and Seoul) to reduce the amount of domestic waste created every day in Hong Kong.
Related articles:
Talking Rubbish: Hong Kong’s waste problem explained
Plastic Paradise: Hong Kong’s packaging problem
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