Transcript Liberal Studies (5)

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 firstaid 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)