Environment minister, Tse Chin-wan, on Sunday said authorities will look into a different way of charging people for the waste they throw away, based on the total volume of garbage generated in each building.

It comes after the administration again suspended a pay-as-you-throw scheme, under which people would have had to buy designated bags for their waste.

Speaking on TVB, Tse rejected the idea that structuring the scheme this way would be less effective.

"Some people may think it's not enough as an incentive if we impose waste charging per building, but it has to do with the culture as well," he said.

"If we can nurture a culture that supports waste reduction, people will think those who are not willing to do it are irresponsible, and the owners' committees will look into how to reduce waste expenses and call on residents to recycle more."

Separately, Tse said officials are planning to extend the opening hours of all government recycling stations by three hours from next month at the earliest.

He also said they are looking at the possibility of allowing residents to use the points they have accrued from recycling to redeem shopping vouchers that can be used at supermarkets.

Tse added that he hopes the recycling rate, which stood at 32 percent in 2022, can go up further in a short period of time.