Overview of Sewage Services Charges

In accordance with the “Polluter Pays” principle, the Sewage Services Charging Scheme came into effect on 1 April 1995 for all users whose premises are connected to public sewers. The sewage services charges are composed of Sewage Charge (SC) and Trade Effluent Surcharge (TES). There are currently 27 trades required to pay the TES.

Billing and Water Consumption Statistics

Among the 3.04 million water utility users in Hong Kong, about 2.82 million are required to pay the SC. Among the non-domestic users, about 29,000 are required to pay the TES, the distribution of which is as follows.

Reassessment of TES Rate and Discharge Factor

Non-domestic consumers may apply for a reassessment of the TES rate or discharge factor if they consider that their effluent strength or discharge factor is lower than the corresponding values specified by law. The reassessed TES rate is valid for 3 years.

Customer Enquiry

In order to provide better services, we set up a 24- hour hotline and established performance pledges on different areas of our services and enquiries to ensure public enquiries are addressed in a timely manner. In 2018-19, we received a total of 3,468 telephone and written enquiries about our sewage services charges, of which all the written enquiries were formally replied within a month.