Producer Responsibility Scheme on Plastic Beverage Containers and Beverage Cartons
The Government is in the progress of drafting the legislative proposal for the Producer Responsibility Scheme (PRS) on Plastic Beverage Containers and Beverage Cartons, and will finalise the operational details of the scheme as soon as possible.
Why introduce the PRS on Plastic Beverage Containers and Beverage Cartons?
Waste plastics constitute about 20% of our municipal solid waste disposal. Amongst the waste plastics, about 4-5% are plastic beverage containers. The Government is preparing to introduce the PRS on Plastic Beverage Containers and Beverage Cartons, with a view to turning waste into reusable resources and reducing the impact on the environment.
Progress
The Government conducted a Public Consultation on introduction of the PRS on Plastic Beverage Containers from February to May 2021, during which over 4 600 submissions were received. The community responded positively to the proposal in general. Having considered the views received, the experience in other places and the development of the local recycling market, the Government will adopt a “market-based model” for the implementation of the scheme, and will include beverage cartons in the scheme, which in turn will help enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the recycling arrangement. We are actively preparing the implementation of the PRS on Plastic Beverage Containers and Beverage Cartons and now in the progress of drafting the legislative proposals with a view to introducing a bill into the LegCo for scrutiny in early 2024 at the earliest. Besides, we rolled out 2 stages of Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) Pilot scheme in 2021 and 2022 to test out their practical application for collecting plastic beverage containers in local environment, paving the way for the future implementation of the PRS on Plastic Beverage Containers and Beverage Cartons. In view of the positive responses from the public since the rollout of the RVM Pilot Scheme, the Government has decided to extend the Pilot Scheme in order to maintain the continuity of the RVM services to the public pending the commencement of the PRS on Plastic Beverage Containers and Beverage Cartons. The tendering exercise for Stage 3 of the Pilot Scheme had been completed, and the contract was awarded in August 2023. The Contractor's service shall transit smoothly from Stage 2 of the Pilot Scheme and provide enhanced RVM services.