Govt Advisers Call For A Rise In Plastic Bag Levy

The government’s green advisers have called on authorities to consider raising the plastic bag levy from the current HK$0.5 to HK$1 or HK$2, as part of a plan to further cut waste in Hong Kong.

The Council for Sustainable Development on Thursday said their suggestion is based on feedback received during a public consultation exercise last year.

Council chairman Lam Ching-choi said if the government accepts the proposal, he hopes the new levy can come into effect within a year or two.

"This [increased] levy is not going to be popular, it's not intended to be popular. It's a levy to discourage the public from using plastic bags," he told a press conference.

"So I don't think we should view this issue from the angle of popularity."

Jonathan Wong, who heads the council's strategy subcommittee, said the current plastic bag charge is too low to have a strong deterrent effect.

"We look at our neighbouring city in Macau, [the levy] now is MOP$1 (approximately HK$0.98). So that means [the current levy level of] HK$0.5 is really low. It has a low incentive for people to reduce the use of plastic bags," he said.

Meanwhile, the council said the current arrangement of allowing retailers to give out a plastic bag for free to wrap certain foodstuff, such as ice cream or chilled goods, should also come to an end.

It said officials should stop providing such an exemption if the foodstuff concerned is already fully wrapped.

The advisers also proposed banning the sale of single use plastic products like takeaway cutlery, cotton buds and inflatable cheer sticks, and prohibiting the free distribution of umbrella bags.

Last year, the government said it plans to completely ban the use of plastic takeaway cutlery in the city by 2025.