The government plans to implement a garbage collection scheme by the end of 2023, and citizens will be required to purchase designated garbage bags to dispose of garbage in the future.
Earlier, the government stopped bidding, and the Environmental Protection Agency's index price was higher than expected. Therefore, the local manufacturing regulations were revised to allow mainland production.
The Environmental Affairs Committee of the Legislative Council discussed related issues today (31st). Officials cited surveys and pointed out that under the new bidding conditions, it can be 40% cheaper than the original bidding documents.
The EPA received 26 bids last year, but has since decided to re-tender.
The department replied that all the tenders that met the technical requirements had higher prices than expected, so they were canceled and restarted.
The government re-tendered at the beginning of this year, no longer required manufacturers to set up factories in Hong Kong, lowered the proportion of recycled plastic bags, and replaced low-density polyethylene (LDPE) in general plastic bags with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) for fruit in supermarkets. The plastic bags produced have become thinner, and the 30-day supply requirement has been abolished, and the contract period has been shortened from 5 years to 3 years.
Officials said that after a series of changes, manufacturers have saved the cost of setting up factories in Hong Kong, and the price of raw materials, which accounts for half of the cost, can now be 30% cheaper. In addition, using factories in the mainland can save labor and rent.
The department investigated the industry in December last year and found a price that was 40% lower than the original tender price.
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