Government eyes shopping bag ban

Violators will be charged 50 cents per bag.

The Product Eco-responsibility (Amendment) Bill 2013 will be gazetted on May 3 and tabled at the Legislative Council on May 8, to extend the Environmental Levy Scheme on Plastic Shopping Bags.

The bill seeks to extend the levy scheme to cover the entire retail industry. Upon enactment and implementation, free distribution of plastic shopping bags will be banned at all points of sale. The public will be charged at least 50 cents per bag to discourage their excessive use.

The extended scheme will cover all retail outlets, including small and medium enterprises. To reduce their administrative burden, the bill proposes retailers handle the bag charge on their own without having to remit it to the Government. However, the Government will encourage them to favourably consider using the income to support environmental protection or other charitable causes.

Secretary for the Environment KS Wong said by extending the scheme, the Government can deepen public awareness of the "Bring Your Own Bag" drive.

He called for the retail industry not to circumvent the scheme by switching to paper bags or shopping bags made with other materials, which will result in more waste and undermine the "Use Less, Waste Less" culture in Hong Kong.

The bill will include exclusions so the public will not be discouraged from using plastic shopping bags for food hygiene purposes.

The Environmental Protection Department will boost publicity of the extended levy scheme.