Liberal Studies 5

According to Source 1, what is the regulation of the plastic bag levy scheme?

a) Retailers participating in the scheme will charge shoppers $0.5 for each plastic bag. But the regulation excludes some of the retail shops inside department stores without selling any food or beverage, drugs or first-aid medicine and personal care or beauty care products. (2 marks)

What is the meaning of the plastic bag levy? Explain your answer with reference to Sources 1 and 2 and based on your knowledge.

• Free answers. • For example, the plastic bag levy is one of the strategies of

environmental protection, which aims at reducing the indiscriminate use of plastic bags and hopes that the public can shoulder the responsibility of environmental protection.

• Environmental protection issues are not new to the public but Hong Kong lacks extensive and powerful environmental protection measures to ensure a green life of the public. Though there were groups and people voluntarily using reusable shopping bags, the majority of the public is still used to ask for free plastic bags when shopping.

• The mandatory plastic bag levy scheme implemented by the government can nurture public’s awareness of bringing their own shopping bags. There may be chaos at the beginning of the launch of the scheme, but the indiscriminate use of plastic bags would be eliminate when the public get use to this shopping habit. (4 marks)

A representative of the retailing industry pointed out that the implementation of the levy scheme is too rush, which will lead to chaos. In your opinions, how should this problem be solved? (6

marks)

• Free answers. • For example, Hong Kong people are accustomed to get free plastic bags when

shopping and thus they may find it difficult to adopt when the plastic bag levy scheme implements. This may lead to chaos and arguments with shoppers.

• The government should therefore take more propaganda work to let the public know the details of the scheme and for easy public identification. For the elderly and foreign domestic workers, due to their living and language habits, they may not clearly understand the implementation of the scheme.

• The government should carry out suitable promotion targeted on these two groups. Moreover, some shops may worry that the plastic bag levy may affect the business and continue distributing free plastic bags to consumers.

• To prevent violation of regulations which goes against the aim of the scheme, the authorities should intensify their patrols especially at the beginning of the implementation of the scheme where the public have not yet establish a green shopping pattern. Mutual supervision is therefore required. (6 marks)

In your opinions, what is the impact of the implementation of the environmental levy scheme on plastic shopping bags on the air quality of Hong Kong?

• Answer according to the real situation at the time. For example, providing data or descriptions of the following examples about the related situations:

• Amount of solid waste in Hong Kong

• Amount of plastic bags distributed by supermarkets

• Quantity of production of plastic bag by plastic bag suppliers

• Situations of the public using plastic bags or bringing their own shopping bags

(8 marks)