Hong Kong has not done enough to educate public, businesses on coming ban on single-use plastics, lawmaker and industry leader say
- Legislator takes aim at ‘executive abilities’ of Environmental Protection Department, amid a lack of awareness over coming ban on single-use plastics
- Vice-chair of Hong Kong General Chamber of Pharmacy says government has not reached out to chemists over ban set to begin on April 22
Legislator Doreen Kong Yuk-foon on Monday took aim at the “executive abilities” of the Environmental Protection Department, amid a lack of awareness over the ban on single-use plastics – which comes into force on April 22 – just weeks after a public outcry over the pay-as-you-throw waste-charging scheme.
The waste-charging scheme, requiring people to buy government-approved garbage bags for 11 HK cents (1 US cent) per litre, is now set to begin on August 1 rather than April 1.
“They had so much time to educate the public regularly. This shows they do not know how to promote or execute their policies. How are we supposed to trust Secretary [for Environment and Ecology] Tse Chin-wan?” she said.
Cheung Tak-wing, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Pharmacy, said that since the legislation on plastics was passed in October, authorities had not contacted the body’s members to help them prepare for the ban.
“As far as I know, the Environmental Protection Department has not reached out to us, and our members had to find out about the news through the media,” he told a radio show. “We have to guess on our own, which is not ideal.”
