All 60,000 Hong Kong retailers should join an expanded plastic bag levy scheme that would also cover bags without handles, such as those provided in supermarkets to pack food.
But instead of paying the 50 cents- a-bag levy to the government - which netted the government HK$25 million last year - the retailers should keep the money.
These are the key features of a proposal by the Environmental Protection Department being put forward for public consultation.
The 3,000 outlets presently covered by the scheme introduced in July 2009 are mostly big chains, including supermarkets, convenience stores and drugstores.
But under the revised scheme, all retailers, including small ones without sophisticated accounting systems, would have to collect the levy.
Officials say this is why it is proposed they should keep the money.