If you hate the planet and don’t already carry around reusable bags everywhere you go, perhaps the new plastic shopping bag levy will get you to change your habits.
Starting from April 1 – please don’t accuse your poor fruit seller of playing an April Fool’s joke on you – every single plastic shopping bag you use at any shop will cost you HKD0.50.
You’ll also be charged HKD0.50 for buying a pre-packaged pack of 10 or more plastic shopping bags. And if you’re dumb enough to put that in a bag, then you’ll be charged another HKD0.50.
No retailer is spared from this charge, from wet markets and hawkers to salons and clinics.
However, there are some exemptions for certain situations.
Plastic bags for food that doesn’t come with any packaging – like fresh fish, meat, or veggies – are excluded from the charge.
Food that does not come in airtight packaging – like your McNugget container or your fast food Diet Coke cup – are also exempt. (We’re sure all the major fast food corporations had nothing to do with this decision.)
The Environmental Protection Department aims to reduce Hong Kong’s solid waste disposal rate by 40 percent by 2022. Godspeed.
For more information about the plastic shopping bag charge, check out the government website.
