Hong Kongers will pay HK$1 (4.50 baht) for each plastic bag they take at supermarkets and wet markets from next week when the charge aimed at cutting down waste doubles in its first increase in 13 years.
But all operators, including major chains such as ParknShop and Wellcome, would be given a one-month grace period to fully comply with the new rule, Bruno Luk Kar-kin, the deputy director of environmental protection, on Wednesday said. Government workers posing as shoppers would carry out spot checks on enforcement for three months after the new levy took effect on Dec 31, he added.
