Report on plastic waste management in Hong Kong recommends banning single-use plastics in next three years
- Council for Sustainable Development releases report after public consultation that involved 2,600 participants and 9.400 submissions
- Doubling levy for plastic shopping bags and ban on free umbrella covers are among 24 recommendations
Hong Kong should increase the shopping bag levy and ban the sale and distribution of single-use plastics within three years, according to government environment advisers who have made recommendations to overhaul the management of the waste.
The Council for Sustainable Development released 24 suggestions on Thursday, including increasing the levy for plastic shopping bags from 50 cents to HK$1 or HK$2 (25 US cents).
It also recommended banning the free distribution of single-use plastic products, such as umbrella covers, and banning the sale and distribution of single-use plastics within three years.
The council made such suggestions in hopes of changing Hong Kong’s “throwaway culture”, said Jonathan Wong Woon-chung, chairman of the council’s strategy subcommittee, at a press conference.
The proposed regulations would cover both conventional petroleum-based plastics and the new generation of so-called biodegradable or compostable plastics, Wong added, explaining that it might be difficult for residents to distinguish the two.
Presented in a 140-page report, the recommendations follow a three-month public consultation last year that involved more than 2,600 participants and about 9,400 submissions.
Among other things, they suggest the government prohibit sale of non-essential disposable plastic products in the short term, including disposable tableware, plastic cotton buds and inflatable cheering sticks.
Exemptions would be given to medical products such as surgical masks.
Biodegradable plastic may not be as green as you think, Hong Kong group says
Authorities should outlaw the manufacture, sale and distribution of disposable plastics and OXO-degradable plastics that decompose only in the presence of oxygen, heat and UV light, it added.
“The public’s response was pretty clear,” said council chairman Lam Ching-choi. “I hope that in a year or two … when the lives of most ordinary people return to normal, the government will implement relevant measures.”
Lam said the council expected the government to implement these recommendations by legislation within three years.
Even though the council recommends introducing a preparation period to enable manufacturers and retailers to clear their existing stock, environmental groups have argued that despite the measures, it failed to set out a specific target or a timetable for plastic reduction and recycling.
01:37
Countries agree to end plastic pollution in historic UN resolution
The proposal fell in line with mainland China’s plans to drastically cut plastic use. Mainland authorities have currently banned the production and sales of single-use foam plastic tableware, with the aim to outlaw non-biodegradable plastic bags nationwide by the end of 2025.
Although the pandemic has encouraged disposable plastics use, waste plastic disposal has roughly remained stable.
The latest statistics show a daily quantity of 2,312 tonnes in 2020, slightly lower than 2019’s 2,320 tonnes. It contributed 21 per cent of municipal solid waste generated every day.
‘Too cheap and too convenient’: Hong Kong’s plastic pollution battle
The government said it welcomed all the recommendations, adding that Secretary of the Environment Wong Kam-sing would address the Legislative Council’s environmental affairs panel on April 25.
“We will formulate a work plan to implement the recommendations as soon as possible, and consider speeding up the reduction in the use of plastics, proactively controlling single-use plastic products,” a statement said.
Although the report reflected residents’ demands for plastic reduction, local environmental group The Green Earth pointed out that without an implementation timetable, they remained merely “directional”.
The group also urged the government to regulate non-essential plastic packaging to cut plastics at the source.
Wholesale and retail sector lawmaker Peter Shiu Ka-fai said the regulations, if passed, would “inevitably increase costs because plastics are relatively cheap”.
Plastic straws are banned as China steps up war on waste
“If the cost difference isn’t high, I think the industry would be able to accept it,” he said. “Reducing plastics is good for the environmental protection point of view, but there should be a balance.”
The chairwoman of Legco’s panel on environmental affairs, Elizabeth Quat Pui-fan, said she was “happy” with the suggestions, but noted Hong Kong lagged behind other places regarding plastic reduction.
“The pandemic has given rise to a growing demand for online shopping among residents and a change in consumption pattern,” she said. “It is necessary for the government to straighten out the details of the regulation as soon as possible.”
