Retailers come up with deals for shoppers as plastic levy kicks in
Retailers affected by the 50-cent levy on plastic bags, which came into force at midnight last night, have come up with a variety of alternatives - baskets and paper bags for use, shopping bags for loan and even cash coupons - to keep shoppers happy.
Some of these measures may help shoppers evade the levy, or may in fact be violating the levy law.
More than 50 registered retailers - with more than 2,800 outlets, or about 5 per cent of the city's total - start today to collect a levy of 50 cents for every plastic bag. The levy is expected to cut the use of plastic bags by half, or around one billion a year, and generate revenue of about HK$200 million.
On average, a Hongkonger throws away three plastic bags a day.
Environment Secretary Edward Yau Tang-wah, speaking yesterday at a tram parade organised to publicise the levy, urged people to take their own shopping bags when they went out, and called on retailers not to find ways to evade the levy.
Wing On Department Store, for one, said yesterday it had already switched to using paper bags instead of plastic bags, while Yue Hwa Chinese Products said it would hand out paper bags to shoppers who refused to pay the levy. Bargain food store Yu Kee would also issue free plastic bags without handles to shoppers in need.
Some retailers would introduce incentives to encourage shoppers to use reusable shopping bags. Major supermarket chain Wellcome said it would offer discounts to shoppers who used environmentally friendly bags.
City'super would also offer a 10 per cent discount on shopping bags for any purchases of more than HK$300, while ParknShop said it would offer promotional prices for shopping bags from today.
But one retailer's promotion had raised eyebrows. Japan Home Centre and its sister stores were offering every shopper who buys a HK$10 reusable bag the same amount in cash coupons that can be used in the next purchase.
Officials from the Environmental Protection Department have questioned the promotion's legality because, under the law, any rebate or discount directly offsetting the price of a reusable bag is not allowed.
Japan Home Centre yesterday defended its move. 'We would carry out such promotion only if it is legal,' a Mr Woo from the company said, acknowledging that departmental officials had asked the company to cancel the promotion.
Principal environmental protection officer Kenneth Chan Shu-to said: 'We have already clearly told them about the law requirements and have informed them our concerns. We believe the retailer will take the appropriate move' by the time the law kicks in today.
Other retailers, including The Link, Circle K, CR Vanguard and Sa Sa, will offer shopping bags on loan upon payment of a deposit.
Jusco department store will provide baskets for shoppers who do not want to pay the levy. Until the end of July, the store's supermarkets will lend up to two baskets to each shopper who registers for the loan. 'This is to offer some convenience to shoppers... We hope they would come back with their own shopping bag next time,' a spokeswomans said.
At yesterday's tram parade, district councillor Ho Man-kit, from the group Momentum 107, protested against the levy, calling Mr Yau a 'liar' for promoting the levy, because he said the levy's meagre benefits would be outweighed by excessive product packaging.
At a glance
What attracts the levy and where does the money go?
A 50-cent levy will be charged on plastic bags with handles or handle holes, with the cash going into the government's general revenue.
Where will the levy be imposed?
Will a levy be charged on paper bags, trash bags or other shopping bags?
No, but shopping bags must be sold for at least HK$5. Individual retailers might charge for non-plastic bags.
Can cooked-food stores inside supermarkets put food in plastic bags?
Yes. There is no levy on pre-bagged or prepackaged products.
Can one refuse to pay the levy?
Retailers might call the police for assistance, as this amounts to refusal to pay for a product.
How do I know if retailers charge the levy or not?
All registered retailers are required to show the levy logo in their shop or at the cashier station.
Are there any exemptions?
Third-party operators inside supermarkets and department stores are exempt from collecting the levy.
