Sarah's bag: Secretary for Environment, Transport & Works Sarah Liao shows programme hosts her "green" bag for documents.

Changing people's mindset is the key to reducing the use of plastic bags, Secretary for Environment, Transport & Works Dr Sarah Liao says, adding supermarkets will offer more incentives to urge customers use fewer plastic bags.

Speaking on RTHK talkshow "Dialogue with Secretaries" today, Dr Liao said the proposed plastic bag tax was a complex issue which had to be examined carefully.

As required by law, shops in Taipei no longer offer free plastic bags, and customers have to request and pay for these bags. Dr Liao said the move might help reduce plastic bag use, but its feasibility had to be explored in detail.

On the plastic bags recovery trial, Dr Liao noted dozens of housing estates and supermarkets had joined the scheme, which has cut plastic bag use by 5%. The Government is liaising with supermarkets on providing more incentives to customers to reduce plastic bag use, and a new promotion will be launched soon, she added.

Dr Liao stressed there was a need to introduce product responsibility schemes to lower the environmental risks, and the battery recycling scheme launched last week has shown manufacturers, importers, retailers and consumers are willing to share the responsibility.

She said product responsibility schemes on tyres and rechargeable batteries are being explored, while studies on drink containers and electrical appliances will be carried out this year.

Turning to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, Dr Liao anticipated works would start by the end of this year, and relevant transport infrastructure within Hong Kong has been planned. The bridge will be financed by the private sector, while connecting transport networks will be built by Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau Governments.

Dr Liao said the Advisory Council on the Environment had been asked to partake in the project's environmental impact assessment to ensure a high degree of transparency during the process.

She said the bridge would be a key connection between the three cities, bringing Hong Kong substantial economic benefits.