The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government organized a ceremony on Sunday as part of the publicity to usher in an environmental levy scheme on plastic bags expected to start on Tuesday.

Under the scheme, registered retailers in the city will be required to charge half a HK dollar (0.064 U.S. dollars) for each plastic shopping bag provided to customers.

Speaking at the ceremony at a local shopping mall, Secretary for the Environment Edward Yau called on the public to bring their own shopping bags.

"The levy scheme provides a direct economic incentive to discourage the indiscriminate use of plastic shopping bags. More and more people in Hong Kong now bring their own shopping bags and use fewer plastic shopping bags," he said.

The levy scheme will cover the major and chain supermarkets, convenience stores, personal health and beauty stores, and supermarkets inside department stores. More than 2,800 retailers have been registered, representing a majority in the city, Yau said recently.

(Xinhua News Agency July 6, 2009)