Hong Kong government may be urged to impose a levy on plastic
bag use to save the city from plastic bag landfills as there are
over 8 billion plastic shopping bags disposed yearly, according to
the figure released Monday by environmental department.
In a paper tabled to lawmakers Monday, Hong Kong Environmental
Protection Department urged the legislative to agree to impose a
levy to cut plastic bag use, adding a 50-cent levy could cut
plastic bag use in Hong Kong by one billion.
The department said about 8 billion plastic shopping bags are
disposed of at landfills annually in Hong Kong, which equals to
more than three bags a person daily -- a much higher figure than
those of developed economies.
It said that in an opinion survey on bag usage conducted last
year, more than 85 percent of respondents said they will cut usage
if a levy is imposed.
The result of the No Plastic Bag Day campaign launched in
supermarket chains indicates that a charge of 50 cents could lead
to a drop in plastic shopping bag usage by up to 54 percent at
participating retail chains.
The department suggests a phased approach to be adopted in
imposing the levy by first covering chain or large supermarkets,
convenience stores and personal health and beauty stores, affecting
up to 100 retailers with about 2,000 outlets.
It estimated that the levy collected for the first few years
will be less than 200 million HK dollars a year. The department
hopes to consult the public and discuss the implementation details
with the trade in the next two months.
(Xinhua News Agency May 22, 2007)