Retailers have shown support for the idea of charging customers for a widely used type of plastic bag in the next phase of the bag levy scheme.
They say they are aware of the abuse of non-woven bags - so called because they resemble fabric, but are made of plastic - that are handed out at shops and are ending up in landfills along with the common plastic bags that are subject to a 50 HK cent tax.
They also acknowledge the increasing use of plastic.
'Apart from public education, we should charge customers for obtaining non-woven bags to stop the abuse,' Retail Management Association chairwoman Caroline Mak Shui-king said. 'The levy for these bags can be set even higher.' She was spelling out the association's views in a public consultation, due to end next month, on the next phase of the scheme.
The government proposes to extend the levy - now applied only by supermarkets, convenience stores and pharmacies - to all retailers, while allowing them to keep the money.
Since the scheme began in 2009, non-woven bags have become a substitute for plastic bags with handles.