Hong Kong's levy on plastic bags only first step to cleaning up environment

There was bound to be confusion when the second stage of the plastic bag levy took effect yesterday. Complicated government exemptions made knowing which bags should be charged for and which could be given out for free uncertain, even for some retailers. Education, experience and help from Environment Bureau inspectors will iron out the difficulties and it is likely the new measures will be readily taken up, just as when the first phase was introduced almost eight years ago. Extending the measure from about 3,500 retailers to more than 100,000 does not mean that the job of lessening the amount of non-biodegradable material we throw away is completed, though; Hong Kong has to work towards eliminating their use.

The scheme has been broadened from supermarkets and convenience stores to clothing shops and even doctors' clinics. But exemptions for hygiene reasons mean that plastic bags can still be freely used for fresh and frozen goods and takeaway food from restaurants. Pre-packaged items are similarly exempt, as are free samples, permitted under the services category. The new phase is therefore just a step, rather than a dramatic shift, in the quest to force us to use alternatives.

We have to make every effort to use the bags sparingly. Plastics take hundreds of years to decompose. Bags made from the material can kill sea life, flood streets when caught in drains and create an unsightly mess on beaches and shorelines. The environmental damage caused far outweighs the convenience of not needing to take a reusable option when shopping.

Paper bags are less damaging and as readily available. Older generations well know this - they were ubiquitous before plastics became widespread in the 1970s. The huge volume of bags we throw away each year is environmentally unsustainable. Moving on to the next phase is welcome and necessary to encourage less use of plastic bags, but sights have to be set on a ban. As importantly, we have to move towards widening the measure to other equally harmful plastics.