The humble plastic bag is a source of convenience for shoppers but a curse for the environment worldwide. Yet, few municipal authorities and national governments around the world have taken the necessary tough measures to reduce their use. By announcing a nationwide ban on free plastic bags, the mainland has moved to the forefront of best international practices on the environment.
From June 1, businesses will be barred from producing, selling or using the flimsiest plastic bags, while a levy will be imposed on more durable ones. The decisive move, announced by the State Council, deserves recognition. But officials must now ensure adequate resources are allocated to enforce the ban effectively.
The new ban is, however, only a small, albeit important, step. A myriad of far greater environmental challenges confront the country today. The central government must demonstrate the same determination in tackling other even more pressing environmental concerns such as water and soil contamination, air pollution, and chronically inefficient use of energy. These problems pose an even greater danger to the nation's health and economic development.
Also, the latest measure does not tackle other sources of plastic waste such as bottles, cups, spoons and styrofoam containers, which are at least as damaging as plastic bags, if not more so. A similar ban and levy should be considered with these other plastic and recyclable sources of waste.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong is in a similar predicament. We are not far behind the mainland on the plastic bag front. On Wednesday, lawmakers were presented with the government's Product Eco-responsibility Bill for a second reading. The bill, for which a quick passage in the Legislative Council is expected, will impose a 50-cent levy on each plastic bag handed out. The levy will increase the government coffers by HK$200 million a year. But the proposed law does not tackle the other common sources of plastic waste. Hong Kong and the mainland, therefore, must now take advantage of growing environmental awareness among the public to develop comprehensive waste reduction laws.
