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(10 March 2025, SCMP) The Hong Kong government recently released details about the producer responsibility scheme for single-use plastic drink containers and sought approval for a common legislative framework for the efficient management of different products.

While I fully support the framework, I am disappointed by the weakness of the proposal compared to the one released in 2021.

Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan has said the scheme would adopt a market-led approach. As such, there is no need to specify which approach the industry should take but simply to set targets and timelines.

I’m not sure which studies Tse was referring to when he said the rebate of 10 HK cents (1.3 US cents) was “attractive enough” after lawmakers raised doubts about the effectiveness of such a rebate. Why not use a deposit approach in light of successful cases around the world, some of which have achieved a recovery rate of more than 90 per cent?

Adopting the deposit approach means using consumers’ money as an incentive. Retailers would temporarily keep the deposit until the consumer redeems it. In contrast, the rebate approach uses producer’s profits to incentivise consumers. I’m sure most producers don’t prefer this.

A local fresh milk producer has been running a HK$1 deposit system for glass-bottled milk for years. This is a successful market-led practice the authorities might have overlooked.

The authorities should realise that had they taken the deposit approach, coupled with a higher deposit value than the current rebate of 10 HK cents, producers, with retailers’ support, would have no trouble reaching a recovery rate higher than the suggested initial targets of 10 per cent for drink cartons and 30 per cent for plastic bottles.

Hong Kong can learn from economies that have adopted the deposit approach. Slovakia, which requires a deposit of 15 euro cents (US$0.16) for packaged beverages, was able to achieve a recovery rate of over 70 per cent in 2022, the first year of its scheme’s implementation.

Singapore will implement a deposit of 10 Singaporean cents (58 HK cents) on pre-packaged beverages in April 2026. Furthermore, it has pledged to set up more than 1,000 convenient return points to facilitate participation in the scheme.

Tse expects Hong Kong will take six to eight years to reach a recovery target of 75 per cent. This target is an embarrassing reflection of the government’s commitment to environmental protection and the level of political will.

Edwin Lau Che-feng, executive director, The Green Earth

South China Morning Post, Hong Kong shouldn’t water down its producer responsibility scheme