Rosário: Macau in position for other anti-plastic restrictions

The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo Arrais do Rosário, is pleased with the results of the plastic bag law that entered into effect last November. He said that Macau is now in the position to move forward with restrictions against other disposable products.

Speaking at the sectorial policy address at the Legislative Assembly this afternoon, Rosário described the policy as a success because, according to him, the majority of the public are now using reusable shopping bags.

“I agree that the plastic bag law has achieved good results,” he told lawmakers this afternoon. “I’m happy to realize this when I go to supermarket and see that the majority of people are using reusable bags.”

The plastic bag law requires all vendors in retail locations to charge 1 pataca for each plastic shopping bag. Food and medicines without packaging are exempted from the bill, as are products purchased in certain areas at the airport.

Lawmakers Wong Kit Cheng and Sulu Sou inquired as to whether the government would extend similar measures to other environmentally harmful products, including plastic water bottles and single-use utensils.

The Secretary said that he thinks Macau is now in the position to move forward with these additional restrictions and his departments would “continue to work on this matter.”

Last year, research conducted in the SAR suggested that each Macau resident uses 2.2 plastic bags per day on average. The government said it expected the plastic bag law to reduce the use of plastic bags by at least 50%. DB/RM