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Letters | Low cashback value risks failure of Hong Kong’s plastic bottle return scheme
- The Environmental Protection Department’s proposed scheme has its merits, such as the emphasis on consumer convenience, but the rebate of 10 HK cents, far below those of similar schemes elsewhere globally, is far too low
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The Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department is currently designing a new collection scheme for used plastic drink containers. Global studies have found a drink container deposit scheme could reduce marine plastics by around 40 per cent. Eradicating plastic drink containers from Hong Kong’s litter stream, parks and waterways and increasing the recycling of these is an urgent requirement.
Forty-plus countries and regions around the world – including many Australian states and territories, as well as Germany, Israel, and all of Canada, to name a few – have adopted drink container deposit and refund schemes to achieve this objective.
My organisation, The Reloop Platform, detailed a HK$1 deposit scheme to the department, estimating return and recycling rates for this material would peak above 90 per cent within three years. Scotland is currently proposing a 20-pence scheme (around HK$2.10) and Germany and most of northern Europe have similar refund values.
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Though the Environmental Protection Department’s proposal is a good template to build on, there are challenges and impediments to its success that need to be reassessed.
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Most importantly, the draft design proposes a 10 HK cent rebate for consumers who return their containers, but this value is virtually meaningless to most Hong Kong consumers. In fact, this refund would be by far the lowest in the world.
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