Rights cannot be divorced from duties. In a community, the duties are called civic responsibility. Life in Hong Kong is full of blessings but some simply take it for granted. So, they cry for what they do not have. They take and will not give. They even do not do what they should do—like handling rubbish responsibly or protecting our city’s environment.
Hong Kong government is launching a new policy: residents will be required to put their rubbish in prepaid green bags with special labels that will cost 11 Hong Kong cents per litre. Bags will be available in 9 different sizes from 3 litres to 100 litres. The scheme aims to encourage people to recycle more and cut down on the amount of rubbish that we usually generate. Ideally, the ‘garbage bag levy’ will deter some people from producing too much rubbish or using plastic bags excessively. As expected, there is at the moment a big outcry from the public against the policy!
Some complain that they have to work too hard to classify trash and separate plastic items, metal bottles, paper waste and food leftovers etc. Some mourn their lack of money to buy prepaid bags. Some grumble that government did not give them in advance good education on such a scheme. Some scream that there are no corresponding facilities near their homes for collecting such green bags. The elderly have to walk miles for refuse disposal.
We all have to understand that there is no free lunch. Sometimes individual sacrifices are necessary for the greater good of the community. This could involve using up personal time, resources or even adjusting certain habits for the benefit of others or our better future. Hong Kong, by the standard of a world-class city, is surely not clean enough. Apart from many dirty streets, I am shocked to often see rubbish like cigarette packets and styrofoam meal boxes in our beautiful country parks. Selfish behaviours are amazing—can the irresponsible people realize how their self-interests affect others? Do they show any remorse after they make Hong Kong dirty?
Some believe that the whole scheme of prepaid rubbish bags is a kind of collecting ‘garbage tax’. By imposing a financial cost on our waste disposal, the government will make good money though it can incentivize individuals to reduce their waste generated and increase recycling possibilities. The criticism here is when the economy is bad and people earn less, government should not shift such a money burden to the public.
It was said that a compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone feels that he has the bigger piece. It is not easy. Rather, a compromise may be the art of finishing a game in such a way that everyone has an inch to give but he takes a yard back too. Perhaps for the initial stage of implementation, free rubbish bags can be provided to the public and after a certain period of getting used to the new system, people will start to buy their own bags. The public may think that their effort of co-operating with the government is well appreciated.
The lesson for us now is to learn to reduce the amount of waste that we create. Do you only buy you need? Do you use paperless banking statements? Do you buy shampoo and shower gel with refillable packing? Do you buy a machine to try home composing your food waste? Do you use real crockery and cutlery for dinner parties instead of disposable ones?
Remember: cleanliness is next to godliness.
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