Government Mulls Levy, Rebates For Plastic Bottles

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2018-06-10 HKT 18:20

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• Government mulls levy, rebates for plastic bottles

Environment Secretary Wong Kam-sing said on Sunday that authorities are considering a new levy on single-use plastic bottles to discourage consumers from using such products. At the same time, rebates will be offered for people who recycle their bottles.

Wong also revealed that authorities are looking into whether to introduce reverse-vending machines to Hong Kong so people have a convenient way of getting their money back. Such devices accept empty bottles and return the container deposit to consumers.

Wong said these are all matters that consultants are looking into. He noted that in some overseas jurisdictions, 90 percent of plastic bottles are recycled through such rebate schemes.

However, the environment chief did not give any proposed figures for how much the charge or rebate would be; or when these may be introduced. He would only say Hong Kong faces space constraints, and consultants are studying the details of how such a scheme would work.