Write a letter to the editor to express your view over the plastic bag levy and suggest ways to reduce the overall waste in Hong Kong.
Dear Editor,
In response to the news Levy fails to halt shopping bags’ disposal on May 13, I am writing to express my opinions on this issue and suggest some ways to reduce waste in town.
The article revealed that on one hand, only a marginal drop in plastic bags’ disposal was seen while on the other, the number of reusable bags discarded mounted sharply after the implementation of the plastic bag levy. Lamentably, the plastic bag levy has failed to slow the rate of the plastic bag dumped. Why is it so?
To a large extent, the incapability of plastic bag levy to reduce the usage of plastic bag can be ascribed to the undesirable lifestyle of Hong Kong people. As Hong Kong roared her way to an international financial centre, the city developed rapidly and the living standard of the people rose. Alongside the increased living standard is a luxurious lifestyle, which is not environmentally friendly. Millions of plastic bags, together with an incalculable amount of domestic and industrial wastes, were being dumped every day long before the implementation of plastic bag levy. Hong Kong people, deplorably, get accustomed to a lifestyle that can only be enjoyed at the expense of the environment. Therefore, many of us are willing to pay 50 cents to continue with their luxurious way of living.
Apart from the deep-rooted lifestyles that most of us enjoy, low social awareness of environmental protection is also held accountable. Living in Hong Kong, seldom do we feel connected with the nature. Environment education in school taught us facts in books rather than giving us opportunities to have real experiences in the rural areas. In addition, when we try to strike a balance between conserving the environment and developing the economy, economic development would always be the priority. Thus, it is unimaginable for Hong Kong people to appreciate the nature, let alone protect it. With the low consciousness of protecting the nature, Hong Kong people are bound to give up 50 cents for a plastic bag, without realizing that it is also costing / tarnishing our environment.
Moreover, there are some practical problems during the enactment of the plastic bag levy, which is the difficulty in monitoring the shops or chains on the list. Thousands of shops and retail shops are included in the scheme. It is impossible to supervise all shops. Therefore, it is very likely that some businessmen did not collect plastic bag levy from the customers, leading to the failure of the tax in achieving its purpose.
Apparently, 50 cents charged for one bag is not enough to deter citizens from abusing plastic bags. Charging a few dollars, however, would trigger off public outcry. To ease the pressure on landfills in Hong Kong, we have to seek alternatives.
To commence with, the government should put domestic waste levy into practice. It would act as an impetus for people to limit the amount of household waste produced.
A more extensive and far-reaching strategy would be for the government to put more resources into the development of recycling business. Up till now, Hong Kong has been exporting little of the reusable materials people sorted out for recycling. Those recycled are in fact negligible. It is of Hong Kong’s greatest interest to develop recycling business as it would make Hong Kong a sustainable city and would bring other benefits such as a rise in employment opportunities, as well as a growth in GDP.
The long-term solution lies in education and publicity. The government should further spread and reinforce the ideas of 5R (reuse, recycling, reduce, reject, replace) so that Hong Kong citizens would be encouraged to lead a greener lifestyle with the minimal waste produced. Besides, the Environmental Protection Department should collaborate with civil environmental groups to organize different events for Hong Kong residents to get involved. To instill environmental consciousness in the youngsters, more resources can be put to arrange some biological visits in school, for example, so that our next generation could appreciate and treasure the nature.
We all understand that the amount of waste disposal cannot be cut overnight and teaching the citizens to behave is a long term investment. The plastic bag levy is a good start but amendments and further measures are needed. I believe that if all the Hong Kong citizens join forces by having a more environmentally friendly lifestyle, Hong Kong would be a better place.
Yours faithfully,
Winnie
Winnie Wong