Vince Chong, Straits Times 21 Nov 07;
Payment is optional, but ParknShop aims to cut number of plastic carriers used
By Vince Chong
ONE of Hong Kong's leading supermarket chains will from today stop handing out plastic bags freely in a bid to reduce waste.
Customers will be asked to pay 20 Hong Kong cents (4 Singapore cents) for a bio-degradable bag, although they can choose not to pay up, ParknShop managing director, Philippe Giard, said yesterday.
It is estimated that ParknShop's latest initiative will reduce the number of bags used by the chain to 160 million by 2009. The figure is half of that for 2005.
It follows a government plan to soon introduce a 50 Hong Kong cents levy for each plastic bag, to encourage city residents to make pro-environment lifestyle changes.
'The important thing... is to create the condition for every customer to be civic-minded and save the environment,' Mr Giard told reporters yesterday.
The move is also a step up from a 'Green Day' programme at ParknShop, where the chain - controlled by Asia's richest man Li Ka Shing - had been charging 50 Hong Kong cents per plastic bag every first Tuesday of the month. The proceeds collected were donated to help fund green initiatives.
Other Hong Kong supermarkets like Wellcome, City Super and Jusco have similar plans in place, though they would not say if they would be following their rival's latest move.
In a recent public consultation on implementing the plastic bag tax, nearly all respondents agreed that usage of such bags can be reduced.
Almost 80 per cent of them supported the introduction of a duty of 50 Hong Kong cents on each shopping bag.
A levy, imposed initially on major retailers, is expected to be in place by the end of next year at the earliest.
Last year, more than eight billion non-degradable plastic bags were dumped at landfills. That works out to an average of 3.7 plastic bags per Hong Kong resident per day, according to reports.
It has been estimated that big supermarket chains account for some 1.8 billion plastic bags each year - almost 20 per cent of all bags dumped annually.
The government has said drastic action is needed as the territory's remaining three landfills will reach capacity within the next six to 10 years.
ParknShop's announcement, not surprisingly, was welcomed by green groups, although some believed stiffer action is needed to make consumers bring their own grocery bags to shops.
'A lot of people might find the price of 20 cents per bag too low to bother with,' said Mr Angus Ho, executive director of Greeners Action.
'But it is a start.'
Friends of the Earth noted that the key to sustaining the city's green efforts in the long run lies in public education.
Analysts suggested that supermarkets return to consumers the savings from using fewer bags, in the form of discounts.
Mr Giard yesterday declined to disclose how much ParknShop would save.
Not everyone agrees that cutting back on the use of plastic bags is the way to go.
During the public consultation on introducing a levy, the Hong Kong Plastic Bags Manufacturers' Association claimed that the argument to prevent landfills from filling up was flawed as plastic bags account for less than 1 per cent of waste in the landfills.
They added that many alternatives, like paper bags, are also environmentally unfriendly as they cannot be recycled.
In April, Singapore launched the Bring Your Own Bag Day campaign to encourage shoppers to cut back on the use of plastic bags.
Under the drive, held every first Wednesday of the month, shoppers are asked to bring their own carriers to supermarkets, or donate 10 Singapore cents for each plastic bag they take from there.
The donation is voluntary.
Just last week, the Hong Kong government announced that taxes for the more environmentally friendly diesel would be halved by next month to promote its use among motorists.
The government is also considering making it illegal to leave vehicle engines running idle.
