New Mercury Control Ordinance Takes Effect December 2025, Banning Harmful Products to Protect Public Health

New control on regulated mercury-added products to take effect on December 31

The control for newly regulated mercury-added products under the newly amended Mercury Control Ordinance (Cap. 640) will take effect on December 31, 2025, covering eight newly regulated mercury-added products (see Annex).

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.

The Environmental Protection Department (EPD), Photo source: news.gov.hk

Extension of e-Appointment services to applications for warrants of distress in District Court Registry

The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:

The Judiciary today (December 23) announced that the e-Appointment services will be extended to applications for warrants of distress in the District Court Registry as from next Tuesday (December30).

Applicants can make online appointments via www.judiciary.hk/en/court_services_facilities/dtci_index.html for attending the District Court Registry to file new applications for warrants of distress. Registered users of "iAM Smart" may use the auto form-filling function of "iAM Smart" to provide relevant personal data for making online appointments. Guidance Notes with details are available on the above dedicated webpage.

With the above extension, the e-Appointment services will be available for a wide range of services in different court registries and offices, including the Apostille Service Office of the High Court Registry, the Probate Registry, the High Court Registry, the Appeals Registry at the Clerk of Court's Office of the High Court, the Family Court Registry, the Integrated Mediation Office, the Labour Tribunal Registry, and the Lands Tribunal Registry.

E-appointment services aim at saving court users' time and costs. To provide greater convenience for court users, with effect from next Tuesday, the auto form-filling function of "iAM Smart" will be extended to cover the majority of e-Appointment services of the court registries and offices (Note). Details are available atwww.judiciary.hk/en/court_services_facilities/es_index.html.

Note: This is not yet available for the Probate Registry (submitting applications for grant with a will) and the Labour Tribunal Registry (filing of claims).

The Judiciary, Photo source: reference image