New control on regulated mercury-added products to take effect on December 31
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The Government completed the amendments to the Mercury Control Ordinance in June this year to implement amendments adopted at the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury to gradually phase out mercury-added products that are harmful to human health or the environment, so as to reduce the opportunities of the public's exposure to these mercury-added products for safeguarding public health and protecting the environment.
An Environmental Protection Department (EPD) spokesman said, "Once the amendments to the Ordinance come into effect, the manufacture, import, export and supply of the relevant regulated mercury-added products will be prohibited. Anyone who contravenes the above regulations commits an offence and, upon conviction, is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for one year."
Under the new measure, the Government has set a grace period for the supply of newly regulated mercury-added products (not applicable to production, import and export of the related product) until January 2029. After the grace period, if anyone continues to supply the relevant regulated mercury-added products, the authorities will initiate prosecution after collecting sufficient evidence.
To help the trades understand the new control requirements, the EPD has earlier written to stakeholders, including importers, exporters and distributors of the concerned mercury-added products, to detail the implementation specifics of the new controls, and has conducted visits to stakeholders to provide guidance.
Relevant information has been uploaded to the EPD's dedicated website (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/international_conventions/mercury/mco.html). For any enquiries regarding the newly amended Mercury Control Ordinance, please contact the EPD at 2838 3111 or via email at enquiry@epd.gov.hk.
Ends/Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Issued at HKT 12:00
Issued at HKT 12:00
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