View Poll Results: Should there be a levy on single use plastic bottles

Voters
27. You may not vote on this poll
  • Yes - with a refund scheme for proper recycling

    24 88.89%
  • Yes but not water bottles - with a refund scheme for proper recycling

    0 0%
  • Yes

    3 11.11%
  • Yes but not water bottles

    0 0%
  • No

    0 0%
  • Stop with these stupid questions

    0 0%
Like Tree22Likes

Should there be a single use plastic bottle levy

Closed Thread
Page 2 of 4 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 LastLast
  1. #11

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    15

    So far, there are no recycling facilities for plastic bottles in HK. Previous to the ban, they were sent to China for recycling, but no longer. So the chance this levy will "work" is remote.
    All of which is why I think that single-use plastic bottles (amongst other plastic things) should be banned completely. Put the water in glass bottles and put a levy/deposit on those so they have more chance of being returned.

    chingleutsch likes this.

  2. #12

    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    猴山
    Posts
    23,652
    Original Post Deleted
    The user should pay it is that simple. At the moment they discard and society pays for the ecological costs.

  3. #13

    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    12,323
    Original Post Deleted
    Basically you have to change the incentives. Most people in HK think nothing of a range of 1-3HKD on their drink prices. Do you ever look at the price of a bottle in 7-11 or Circle K before buying (this is to Easty). Most people do not I think. A standard bottle of Coke Zero (my favourite purchase) varies from about 9 to 13 HKD depending on where I buy it and the date and the location. And I care not one jot. I just buy it because I want to drink it. Adding something to the price does NOTHING to change behaviour.

    But a deposit scheme does not change MY behaviour. It changes a bunch of other people's behaviour - people who care hugely about 1 - 3 HKD and change their behaviour to solve the problem. People like school kids and old people and very poor people, who then make money out of collecting bottles (and anything else with a deposit), taking them back and getting the deposit back.

    It solves the problem by targeting the people with the incentive to save a few cents. Meaning that the fact that the vast majority of the population does not care, does not matter.

    This is how to make good policy work. To focus on the incentives and make the incentives align with human behaviour. Too much policy is based on theory and too little based on what real people do.....
    TheBrit likes this.

  4. #14

    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    猴山
    Posts
    23,652
    Original Post Deleted
    Maybe, but the $0.5 bag levy massively changed behaviour of the majority. Sometimes people just need a nudge to do the right thing.

    Setting the right tax will probably change over time,

    The biggest issue will be getting the right incentive levels for recyclers so there are plenty of recycling stations / options across the city. If it is not super super super easy to recycle the system will fail

  5. #15

    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Posts
    7,471

    The levy might not change the behaviour of the majority but I guess the old ladies with the trolleys would at least start cleaning them up. Hooray for pensioners


  6. #16

    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    3,988

    there is recycling, it is just starting

    HK_Katherine likes this.

  7. #17

    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Posts
    6,531
    Quote Originally Posted by JAherbert:
    there is recycling, it is just starting

    Where is this?

  8. #18

  9. #19

    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    猴山
    Posts
    23,652
    Quote Originally Posted by JAherbert:
    there is recycling, it is just starting
    From Swire's CSR report in 2006

    "In 2006 Swire Beverages launched a pilot project in partnership with the government to recycle PET (plastic) bottles. The new system allows customers to put an empty bottle into a specially designed reverse-vending machine and receive credits on their Octopus debit
    card. The first experimental machine was installed in a secondary school in April. This machine will be introduced to more users from February 2007."




    Without the right incentives for an independent recycling industry to make recycling almost as easy as throwing in the trash the system will fail.

  10. #20

    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Posts
    369
    Original Post Deleted
    It did in the UK. Can't remember the numbers, but it was staggering the amount of plastic bags used vs the year before when the 5p charge was introduced.

    And the behaviour change is really noticeable whenever I go back. Lots of people bringing their own etc.

    It's pleasantly surprising how much it worked.