Mercury Control Bill gazetted

     The Mercury Control Bill was published in the Gazette today (April 23), and will be introduced into the Legislative Council for first and second readings on May 5.
      
     The Bill seeks to implement the Minamata Convention on Mercury to regulate matters including the import, export, keeping and use of mercury, mercury mixtures and mercury compounds, as well as the import, export, manufacture and supply of mercury-added products.
      
     The Bill has four main provisions, namely the introduction of a permit system to control the import and export of all forms of mercury, the phasing out of mercury-added products listed in the Convention, the phasing out of the use of mercury and mercury compounds in the manufacturing processes listed in the Convention, and the introduction of a permit system to control the storage of all forms of mercury and mercury compounds.
      
     A spokesman for the Environment Bureau said, "The Bill ensures the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)'s full compliance with the international obligations of the Convention, and protects public health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds."
      
     The Convention, which came into force in August 2017, is an international treaty. The People's Republic of China is one of the parties to the Convention, which also applies to the HKSAR.