The control for newly regulated mercury-added products under the newly amended Mercury Control Ordinance will take effect on December 31, covering eight newly regulated mercury-added products.

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, aiming to reduce the opportunities of the public's exposure to these mercury-added products for safeguarding public health and protecting the environment.

The Environmental Protection Department said that once the amendments to the ordinance come into effect, the manufacture, import, export and supply of the regulated mercury-added products will be prohibited. Offenders are 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 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 department had earlier written to stakeholders, including importers, exporters and distributors of the mercury-added products, to detail the implementation specifics of the new controls, and has conducted visits to stakeholders to provide guidance.

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