Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan on Saturday said a proposal to integrate waste management across the Greater Bay Area does not simply mean Hong Kong will send its rubbish for disposal across the border.

The minister confirmed that the authorities are mulling working with mainland counterparts on handling and recycling waste to achieve carbon neutrality and build a waste-free bay area.

Speaking on an RTHK programme, Tse said the plan is not to ship waste to the rest of the Greater Bay Area for incineration, but to recycle and reuse it.

"To achieve carbon neutrality, many countries have been promoting resource circulation. This concept is not difficult to understand. It simply means turning resources into products, such as the clothes you are wearing or the chair you are sitting on. It's not sustainable if all these products end up turning into garbage," he said.

Tse added he is confident that Hong Kong will be able to deal with a daily average of around 11,000 tonnes of garbage after the territory's three incinerators are put into operation.

The waste integration proposal came after the SAR announced on Monday that it was shelving a territory-wide waste charging scheme for a third time. The minister reiterated that the move does not mean the government is pausing its waste reduction efforts.