Property Management Services Authority Organises
Continuing Professional Development Seminar
jointly with Environmental Protection Department
to Provide Latest Update on Municipal Solid Waste Charging
to Over 400 Members of the Property Management Industry

The Government has announced to postpone the implementation of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) charging to 1 August. The Property Management Services Authority (PMSA) organised Continuing Professional Development (CPD) seminar jointly with the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today to provide the latest update on MSW charging to over 400 members of the property management (PM) industry, and introduced recycling measures and relevant subsidy policies that complement MSW charging, as well as addressed questions on the implementation of MSW charging raised by the industry.

Ms Theresa WU, Assistant Director (MSW charging) of the EPD, was invited as the guest speaker of the seminar.

Dr James WONG, Chairperson of the PMSA said, “MSW Charging involves a lot of stakeholders and many implementation details have to be clarified. For example, which charging mode is adopted for the property, the location in the property which should be delineated as communal waste reception areas, should property management companies (PMC) assist households to purchase designated bags / designated labels, how to handle non-compliant waste, how to apportion the expenditures arisen, etc. The PMSA urges the PM industry to make good use of the coming six months to reach consensus soonest possible on the implementation details with stakeholders including owners’ organisations, cleansing service contractors, etc., and then assist owners’ organisations to carry out promotion and education work effectively, so that households clearly understand the procedure and arrangements of waste handling and the costs involved, etc., so as to avoid causing any unnecessary misunderstanding or concerns.”

Chairperson WONG also appealed at the seminar for the PM industry to apply to the EPD for bulk purchase of designated bags soonest possible. “PMCs may apply to the EPD for bulk purchase of designated bags for self use or for distribution to residents of private residential premises for use. As of January, over 140 PMCs have applied to the EPD for purchase of designated bags for more than 2,800 properties in Hong Kong (including private residential, industrial and commercial buildings, shopping malls and carparks, etc.). PMCs should submit applications to the EPD soonest possible to ensure delivery before the implementation of MSW Charging.”

To facilitate the PM industry in getting prepared for MSW charging, the PMSA has specifically arranged two CPD seminars for the industry, one held today (6 February) and another previously on 19 January. Both seminars are recognised by the CPD Scheme of the PMSA and all licensed PM practitioners can obtain recognised participation hours under the CPD Scheme after attending the aforementioned seminars.

The PMSA has launched a dedicated webpage on its official website titled “How Should the Property Management Industry Implement Municipal Solid Waste Charging” (https://www.pmsa.org.hk/tc/professional-development/msw_charging). The webpage is updated regularly to provide the industry with the latest information on MSW Charging. In addition to the Best Practice Guides compiled by the EPD on implementing MSW charging for different types of properties, the webpage also provides training material and toolkits jointly produced by the PMSA and EPD to address common questions raised by the industry, such as "What is the charging mechanism", "How PM industry can get ready", "Should PM companies purchase designated bags on behalf of households", "How to assist households in purchasing designated bags", "How to handle non-compliant waste", "How to prevent non-compliant waste", and "Who should bear the costs for handling non-compliant waste", etc

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