Thank you, Deputy President. Deputy President, I speak in support of the Product Eco-responsibility (Amendment) Bill 2023 (“the Bill”), and support the resolution of the marine plastic pollution problem. However, the Bill will have a significant impact on the catering industry, which must get prepared to go “plastic-free” as soon as possible.

The Government anticipates that this legislation will come into operation in the second quarter of next year to regulate disposable plastic tableware and other plastic products in phases. I, along with the industry and several catering associations, have maintained close communication with the Government and expressed our views on the Bill to it, so that the Bill submitted to the Legislative Council can strike a balance between environmental protection and the actual management characteristics and costs of the industry.

I wish to tell the Secretary that in the past, we have actually worked seamlessly together in this regard. As I have mentioned to the Secretary, this legislation will come into operation in the second quarter, while waste charging will be implemented starting from 1 April, both in the second quarter. I feel that if the timing of the two is too close, the industry will be posed with additional difficulties. Therefore, I hope the legislation will not come into operation earlier than 1 May. Of course, the Secretary has said that the legislation will come into effect in the second quarter, not later than 30 June. Still, I think it is better to implement it a bit later rather than earlier, as doing so will at least allow the industry some breathing space between waste charging and going “plastic-free”.

According to the information submitted by the Government, there are already more than 40 local, domestic and foreign tableware suppliers who can provide non-plastic alternatives for tableware regulated in the first phase. To align with the policy, I have been urging eatery owners in this regard. Actually, over the past month or so, I have personally told them at meetings of the relevant associations and trade associations that they should get prepared for the coming waste charging and legislation on going “plastic-free”; I have also reminded them not to stock up too many plastic products during their preparation. If there are still a lot of plastic products by next April or May, they will then not know how to deal with them. They need to make preparations, including procuring suitable alternatives, looking for the right supplier partners, carrying out performance tests on alternatives, and dealing with the disposable plastic tableware in stock as soon as possible. As there are many alternatives available in the market at present, they must ask suppliers for the material content testing reports and certificates of their products during procurement, so as to prove that the products are not made of plastic materials.

As for the second phase of regulation, although the Government has indicated that it is tentatively scheduled to be implemented in 2025, the specific implementation time will depend on the alternatives’ availability and affordability. The Secretary’s idea is good, but I hope that in addition to the above two points, the Secretary will also consider that waste charging and the first phase of going “plastic-free” are just beginning next year. Thus, I hope the Secretary will refrain from explicitly stating that the second phase of regulation will be implemented in 2025, but wait until the implementation of these two measures, assess how much impact the implementation of the ordinances has on the industry, and then decide when to launch the second phase of regulation. He should not just look at whether there will still be a lot of plastic products at that time. If the impact is severe, I think it is not a problem to wait a little longer and give industry members a break, instead of strictly adhering to the launch of the second phase as scheduled.

Therefore, after the implementation of waste charging and going “plastic-free” next year, I hope the Secretary will conduct a Regulatory Impact Assessment based on the relevant data to see how great the actual impact of the ordinances will be on the industry. In fact, not only the industry but also the public may be affected. The Secretary has said that the cost of many alternatives is very close to that of the plastic products currently in use, possibly differing by a few percentage points only; however, if the cost is much higher, I do not rule out the possibility that the industry will ask the public to pay for it. Of course, you do not mind, and neither do I; if members of the public are asked to pay an additional $2 for tableware, they may as well not use it at all. So, I think the Government also needs to consider the economic impact and how the public will actually react.

Deputy President, in fact, the best way to reduce waste at source is for eateries to use reusable tableware as much as possible and encourage citizens to bring their own tableware. With the imminent implementation of waste charging on 1 April next year, the catering industry will be charged based on the amount of waste disposed of. In the long run, by reducing the generation of disposable tableware waste, the industry can minimize the payable amount under waste charging, save the cost of disposable tableware, lessen the burden on the environment and protect our marine environment.

I would like to take this opportunity to call on the catering industry to actively participate in the third phase of the “Plastic-Free Takeaway, Use Reusable Tableware” campaign to be launched by the Environmental Protection Department, probably in November. This campaign encourages the public to go “plastic-and-disposable-free” when ordering takeaways, thus reducing the use of disposable tableware. Members of the public can get a sticker for each takeaway order made at the participating eateries without obtaining disposable tableware. Collecting six stickers allows them to redeem a reusable stainless steel tableware set sponsored by the Environmental Campaign Committee, GREEN$ points, or special offers provided by individual eateries. This is to encourage both the industry and citizens to put the “plastic-free” culture for takeaways into practice, and to work together towards sustainable development.

(THE PRESIDENT resumed the Chair)

As a matter of fact, I am now gearing up for making an appeal in the catering industry for the Secretary. When the Secretary was the Deputy Secretary a few years ago, he accepted my proposal to launch this campaign. We have implemented two phases of the campaign until the outbreak of COVID. I am also very pleased that the Secretary has decided to implement the third phase of the campaign, and I will fully cooperate with him. I hope members of the catering industry can hear my appeal today. If I have not reached out to you or if you did not participate in the previous two campaigns but are interested in participating this time, please call me, and I will add your information to the Secretary’s list.

President, I so submit.