No plastic bag day ?

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

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Gold Coast Marina
    Posts
    17,934
    Quote Originally Posted by fearless d:
    The supermarket/drugstore bags are generally re-used as rubbish bags.
    This is what we do. If we didnt have these bags, I would have to (as I did in NZ) purchase plastic bags specially. What's the friggin point? There are so many bigger environmental issues in this place and they worry about plastic bags, most of which are reused anyway? Drives me nuts.

  2. #12

    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    2,176
    Quote Originally Posted by MovingIn07:
    This is what we do. If we didnt have these bags, I would have to (as I did in NZ) purchase plastic bags specially. What's the friggin point? There are so many bigger environmental issues in this place and they worry about plastic bags, most of which are reused anyway? Drives me nuts.
    Yep! same here.

  3. #13

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    4,905
    Quote Originally Posted by MovingIn07:
    This is what we do. If we didnt have these bags, I would have to (as I did in NZ) purchase plastic bags specially. What's the friggin point? There are so many bigger environmental issues in this place and they worry about plastic bags, most of which are reused anyway? Drives me nuts.
    a) Asssuming that most of them are reused is likely incorrect
    b) HK landfills are expected to be full in the next 10 years
    c) 23 million bags are estimated to be dumped every day
    d) The campaign was estimated to save approximately 160 million bags in 5 years for PnS only
    e) Even if other issues might be more serious, it doesn't prevent taking easy and simple action to correct another. It's a lot easier to do this than to reduce emissions in China's factories
    f) What's the harm in doing it?

  4. #14

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    In a little burrow
    Posts
    943
    Quote Originally Posted by gilleshk:
    a) Asssuming that most of them are reused is likely incorrect
    b) HK landfills are expected to be full in the next 10 years
    c) 23 million bags are estimated to be dumped every day
    d) The campaign was estimated to save approximately 160 million bags in 5 years for PnS only
    e) Even if other issues might be more serious, it doesn't prevent taking easy and simple action to correct another. It's a lot easier to do this than to reduce emissions in China's factories
    f) What's the harm in doing it?
    For once I agree with you! There's a lot of other stuff we may as well do in addition - recycling and clearing up the air for starters.

  5. #15

    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    179

    whether "everyday is no plastic bag day" is a big issue or not, i will support this scheme. (hope i wont forget to bring my bag, else, don't buy at all haha) every little thing we do can help the environment. =)


  6. #16

    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Mid Levels
    Posts
    187

    Normally I agree with trying to avoid collecting new plastic bags but this evening I bought some raw meat from City Super. I wasn't going straight home and didn't have any bags with me. They made a big deal of asking whether I really needed a bag or not. Fine but then I literally had a tug of war with the assistant when she tried to thrust a whole load of free magazines into the bag!

    It wound me up because I started to think about how much I throw away since I've moved here even though I recycle what I can. From what I've seen so far, there just doesn't seem to be the infrastructure in place and I'm comparing HK to the UK, which has been criticised for being slow to embrace recycling.

    Does anyone know if there are any bottle banks here? I've never seen any and my apartment is beginning to resemble a student kitchen with its collection of wine bottles!


  7. #17

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Gold Coast Marina
    Posts
    17,934

    Go for a wander around the basement / carpark / outside area of your place. I thought there were no recycyling bins too, but then realised that actually there are loads of them, just placed in truly astoundingly dumb places. (if you don't have a car, like 90% of the population, why would you ever visit the carpark?)

    failing that, actually office blocks have them too ... we finally found ours out on the balcony where the smokers congregate and have put a cardboard box in the office to collect the cans/bottles and instructed the cleaning lady to take then down to the bin at intervals .... not sure if anyone has followed up to make sure she actually does yet, I think that awareness is so low that I doubt it.

    ALL of our supermarket bags are used for rubbish and while I do agree that awareness is an issue in HK, this paying for bags is not going to solve it. I don't even think it's a good first step as it just rubs people up the wrong way if you happen to have forgotten your bag or if, like us, you do actually use them twice!


  8. #18

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    4,905
    Quote Originally Posted by MovingIn07:
    ALL of our supermarket bags are used for rubbish and while I do agree that awareness is an issue in HK, this paying for bags is not going to solve it. I don't even think it's a good first step as it just rubs people up the wrong way if you happen to have forgotten your bag or if, like us, you do actually use them twice!
    It may be the case that all YOUR bags are reused but that's certainly no the case for everyone. As to charging for bags not solving the problem, the estimation so far is that it will reduce the consumption by 160 million bags in the next 5 years for PnS only. It may not solve the problem but it's a step in the right direction, furthermore, if you're going to complain about it, you might want to offer a viable alternative besides reusing them as garbage bags because the reality is that there's no way you produce enough garbage to cover all the bags that are given. I also used them as garbage bags and I rarely forget my cloth bag yet I still have an oversupply.

    And what exactly is the problem for paying for the bag if you use it twice? You get better value for your money... As you pointed out yourself, you had to buy bags anyway when they weren't offered. You're most likely paying less for the supermarket ones. In any case, we should all be paying an extra levy for the waste we produce. Soem countries are starting to limit the amount of garbage you can throw out for free, that's another step in the right direction.

    Obviously HK has a long way to go in terms of promoting the three R's so any step that might help is welcome even if more or better things could be done. I have said it once and I'll say it again, the best way to make sure people change their habits is to hit their wallets.

  9. #19

    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Posts
    1,419
    Quote Originally Posted by gilleshk:
    the reality is that there's no way you produce enough garbage to cover all the bags that are given....
    i agree completely...if you simply recycle plastic, paper, and tins, you really should not be left with a ton of garbage (unless you have babies and use disposable diapers...)

    it does seem a shame there is no viable glass recycling here, with all the wine being sold for instance...

    and another simple option instead of buying cloth bags is reuse the plastic bags for shopping

  10. #20

    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Siu Sai Wan
    Posts
    1,660
    Quote Originally Posted by gilleshk:
    I have said it once and I'll say it again, the best way to make sure people change their habits is to hit their wallets.
    Yeah, because that always works best? It is that kind of thinking that defeats the whole purpose. Do you really think that a 50c bag will change peoples habits? That is like saying if you increase the price of cigarettes, everyone will give up. Charging people more will not "make sure people change their habits". It may be one part of the solution, but it is hardly the answer.