Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Glass levy hit as a day late and a dollar short

Glass levy hit as a day late and a dollar short

Glass manufacturers and suppliers will be charged a levy of 98 HK cents for each one-liter bottle that they supply from the second quarter next year with the Legislative Council passing a bill yesterday.
Despite the passage, some Legco members raised concerns it is relatively low - given that the plastic bag levy is to be raised to HK$1 by the end of next month - while others lamented the fact that containers for sauces and cosmetics were not included.

Secretary for the Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said suppliers of glass beverage containers will be required to register with the Environmental Protection Department in the first quarter and pay the recycling levy for the bottles they distribute or use in the second quarter.

Exemptions will be given to registered suppliers who have a recovery and reuse scheme for the containers of beverage products, he added, with suppliers needing to pay an application fee of HK$9,250.

But architectural, surveying, planning and landscape sector representative Tony Tse Wai-chuen questioned whether that would be enough of an incentive.

Others have also raised concerns that costs incurred by the levy will eventually be passed on to the public.

"Everyone wants to be environmentally friendly, but that involves costs too," said Liberal Party chairman Peter Shiu Ka-fai, adding that collecting and cleaning glass bottles require labor and it would be hard to find an arrangement where costs do not fall on the consumers.

The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong's Elizabeth Quat Pui-fan said it was "better late than never" that the bill had finally been passed since consultations began way back in 2013.

Green Earth senior project officer Edmond Lau Shiu-long welcomed the passage and the decision to get the levies directly from manufacturers.

"The government should use the funds acquired from the application fees for environmental policies," he said of the HK$9,250 fee, adding that authorities should also clearly set out rules, since the costs could pose a barrier to entry for smaller glass bottle manufacturers.

He also suggested authorities implement a scheme whereby shoppers pay a deposit on top of the cost of a beverage and get it back when they return the bottles.

Hong Kong General Association of Recycling Business chief Lo Yiu-chuen expects the move to increase manufacturers' demand for recycling services by about 50 percent - a figure consistent with the government's own recovery target for glass containers.

But he said authorities, recycling firms and manufacturers would first have to come to an agreement on fees for recycling services.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×