Environmental levy and green citizenship on plastic shopping bags behaviours in Hong Kong

Abstract

The Environmental Levy Scheme on Plastic Shopping was enforced in July 2009. The Levy aimed to create a direct fiscal disincentive to reduce the indiscriminate use of Plastic Shopping Bags and encourage consumers to switch to reusable shopping bags. In theory, fiscal instruments are more efficient and effective to change people’s behaviour, but its impacts towards attitude are still in question. Also, the level of green citizenship, which emphasising that people have the responsibility to protect and sustain the environment, is a good indicator to know people’s attitudes towards the environment, but the Hong Kong government tends to rely on fiscal disincentives to change people’s behaviour, Green Citizenship had never been addressed. Green citizenship is a personal commitment to learn more about the environment and to take responsible environmental action. Environmental citizenship encourages individuals, communities and organizations to think about the environmental rights and responsibilities we all have as residents of the planet Earth (Environmental Canada, 2006). This study carried out a questionnaire research to identify the policy effect that the Levy in Hong Kong have on environmental attitudes and behaviours, as well as to identify the relative impact of economic incentive versus Green Citizenship on green attitudes and behaviours. The survey was conducted from 25th April to 9th May 2012 for two weeks in the form of internet survey. The research found that the Environmental Levy Scheme on Plastic Shopping Bags affected citizens’ behaviour and attitude to reduce the use of plastic shopping bags, and also changed people’s behavioural intention to act pro-environmentally, if their beliefs are strong enough to override the disadvantages brought by pro-environmentally actions. However, the level of green citizenship in Hong Kong is still in a private level, the sense of green citizenship of the society is still weak, thus, a comprehensive education programme should be carried out by both the society (bottom-up) and the government (top-bottom) to raise the level of green citizenship of the society.