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Letters | Four ways Hong Kong can win the war on plastic waste
- Reverse vending machines should offer a slightly higher rebate and a HK$2 tax could be imposed on each plastic bottle sold
- Litter hikes and free refill points would also go a long way
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While I applaud Hong Kong’s introduction of the reverse vending machine pilot scheme, I hasten to add that this is not enough to help rid the city of its plastic problem. As Hongkongers, we must do much more to protect our beautiful home.
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Hong Kong is blessed with so many trails and parks which unfortunately are fast becoming a dumping ground for plastic bottles, litter and, more recently, face masks.
We all have a responsibility to ensure that we leave nothing but footprints and take nothing but photographs, to keep these places as nature intended. Litter hikes are a great way to get everyone in the family active and to connect with the environment. If more hikers fill up a bag with any litter found, such efforts by everyone would ensure that wildlife does not come to harm by ingesting any carelessly dropped plastic waste.
I agree with your correspondent Melissa Leung (“How plastic bottle recycling can become second nature for Hongkongers”, March 4) that a 10 cent rebate is too low an incentive. If the rate was set at a minimum of 20 cents per bottle, this would create public interest in the scheme and be a further step to winning the war on plastic. An estimated 7 million plastic bottles are dumped in Hong Kong every day. At a rate of almost one bottle per resident, this is unsustainable and unjustifiable.
Hong Kong is lagging behind many others in the recycling effort. In Finland, shoppers are charged extra initially when buying drinks in plastic bottles and a rebate is given upon recycling. Our government could increase the price of buying bottled water, by adding a HK$2 tax on each bottle sold. The extra tariff would then go towards the recycling costs and further motivate people to get their money back through recycling.
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Coronavirus consequences: disposable masks latest addition to Hong Kong’s waste woes
Coronavirus consequences: disposable masks latest addition to Hong Kong’s waste woes
Furthermore, in the UK, many cafes, restaurants and shops allow members of the public to fill up their reusable water bottles for free. When will patrons be offered similar conveniences here?
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