Hong Kong passes legislative amendments to control single-use plastic products in phases

On October 18, the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passed the “Product Environmental Responsibility (Amendment) Bill 2023” on the third reading to regulate the use of disposable plastic products. The first phase of measures will be implemented from April 2024.

According to the Bill, the regulation of single-use plastic products will be carried out in two stages. In terms of tableware, in the first phase, restaurants will be prohibited from selling or providing nine types of disposable plastic tableware, such as foam plastic tableware and plastic straws. In the second phase, restaurants will be completely prohibited from providing disposable plastic tableware for dine-in or takeout.

For other types of disposable plastic products, the draft also recommends a two-phase implementation. Among them, in the first stage, it is prohibited to sell and provide products that have mature substitutes or non-necessities on the market, including cotton swabs, pumps, umbrella bags, etc.; hotels are also prohibited from providing free plastic toothbrushes, plastic combs, plastic bottled water, etc.

In addition, in order to avoid plastic particle pollution, the draft also introduces relevant measures to prohibit the manufacture, sale or supply of oxidatively degradable plastic products.

The bill received support from the majority of legislators present at the meeting that day. Members believe that reducing the use of plastic products is a global trend, and Hong Kong must also reduce and stop the use of single-use plastic products. They suggest that the SAR government should explain the law to the industry, citizens and tourists after the amendment is passed to avoid causing inconvenience.

In this regard, the Secretary for Environment and Ecology of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Mr Tse Chin-wan, said that the amendment marks a new milestone in Hong Kong’s “plastic-free” (meaning “stopping the use of plastic products”). The SAR government plans to implement the amendment six months after the amendment is passed. The first phase of controls will be implemented on April 22, 2024, “Earth Day”, and the second phase is tentatively scheduled to be implemented in 2025. He said that the SAR government will implement the measures with a multi-pronged strategy, including setting up preparation periods, conducting public education and publicity, and establishing an information platform to share alternatives to single-use plastic products.