Should ParknShop have stuck to its 'no plastic bags' campaign?
I have been visiting Hong Kong from South Africa and read with interest the articles and response to ParknShop's plastic bag campaign.
In South Africa, we have been paying for plastic bags for almost five years now and, after initial resistance, people have keenly embraced the policy of paying for bags.
Even in a country with many poor people, everybody is keen to do their bit for the environment. The results are amazing, as the amount of plastic bag litter has dropped significantly.
We pay about 25 HK cents for our plastic bags or buy cloth bags offered by shops. It has even led to job creation as people in townships make bags to sell.
It is much prettier to take a flower or animal print bag along with you to the shops.
I hope that when I visit next year, there will be significantly less plastic in Hong Kong.