Wasteful Hongkongers prefer buying water bottles daily despite cost to the environment
Survey shows that convenience ranks higher than the need to recycle
Most Hong Kong people would rather buy a plastic water bottle every day for convenience rather than refill their own, a survey revealed.
Green Earth found that at least 60 per cent of the population buy a bottled drink daily. More than 90 per cent said they preferred plastic bottles because they were easy to carry. Other reasons included convenience and hygiene.
The survey also found that Hongkongers had an extremely low knowledge of the landfill waste accumulating in the city. Only 8.6 per cent knew that five million bottles were dumped every day.
Green Earth interviewed 822 people over two weeks from Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and New Territories.
Executive director Edwin Lau found the survey to be reflective of Hong Kong’s reputation as extremely fast-paced, which was why the majority of people valued the convenience of buying drinks without having to worry about recycling. Even though more than 80 per cent acknowledged that plastic bottles were harmful to the environment, the majority still preferred to buy their water rather than having the hassle of filling their own bottle.
Green Earth is proposing a deposit-refund system for plastic bottles in an effort to increase recycling.
People don’t understand the mechanism of the deposit-refund system because they feel like they’re paying extra
Hong Kong already has a similar system in place for glass bottles. But the survey showed that more than 60 per cent did not support such a system.
“People don’t understand the mechanism of the deposit-refund system because they feel like they’re paying extra,” Lau said. “The government needs legislation on producer responsibility. People don’t take it seriously now because there is no legislation.”
Lau said the government should promote public recycling efforts, starting with putting more water fountains in public areas to encourage people to bring their own bottles.
“The government should take the lead – once they start others will follow.”
