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Hong Kong restaurants ready for disposable plastics ban

Single-use plastic tableware at a restaurant. Some lawmakers said many residents did not understand the new rules even if they backed measures for environmental protection. (Photo: South China Morning Post)
Single-use plastic tableware at a restaurant. Some lawmakers said many residents did not understand the new rules even if they backed measures for environmental protection. (Photo: South China Morning Post)

HONG KONG: Hong Kong restaurants are ready for next month's ban on throwaway plastic tableware but are concerned about the costs of shifting to wooden and paper alternatives, catering sector representatives have said.

Simon Wong Kit-lung, honorary president of the Institute Of Dining Professionals, on Thursday pushed back against claims made by the environment minister, who cited a survey, that up to 80% of small and medium-sized restaurants were not prepared.

Wong said restaurants might appear "unprepared" because of a six-month grace period which would take effect after the implementation of the ban on April 22, adding that they had to use up their inventory of plastic materials.

"It wouldn't be surprising if they found out that many restaurants hadn't shifted to using wooden tableware," he told a radio programme.

"Wooden tableware can be as much as twice the price of conventional plastic tableware. This is why many restaurants would choose to put it off until the last moment."

But he noted the situation would be "worth being concerned about" if the minister was instead referring to the number of restaurants that were unaware of the new policy.

On Wednesday, Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan told lawmakers that the Environmental Protection Department had begun surveying 20,000 small and medium-sized restaurants late last year, of which 80% were not ready for the ban.

After the first phase of the ban is introduced, restaurants can no longer offer customers any polystyrene products, disposable plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery or plates for dine-in and takeaway services.

They are also not allowed to provide single-use cups, cup lids or food containers to dine-in customers.

Some lawmakers said many residents did not understand the new regulations even if they approved of measures to support environmental protection.

"When it comes to the specific operations, there will be a lot of questions," lawmaker Gary Chan Hak-kan said. "It is particularly challenging for small and medium-sized enterprises to grasp the policy content."

The government has faced criticism over a lack of public education on the ban in the run-up to the implementation of the first phase of the two-stage process.

Tse on Wednesday also admitted that past publicity work had not been helpful enough.

Wong stressed that finding non-plastic alternatives was not difficult, but the government should instead pay more attention to the ban's ultimate purpose, which was to reduce waste by eliminating disposable tableware.

Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, said the policy had yet to be implemented, so most restaurants had not started using the non-plastic alternatives.

The sector had not raised any concerns to indicate that the ban should be postponed, he noted.

Greenpeace campaigner Leanne Tam Wing-lam warned that simply switching to non-plastic disposable tableware would not help solve the city's chronic waste issues.

"Every day, 227 tonnes of disposable plastic tableware are sent to landfills," she said.

"It actually won't help reduce waste if we just turn these plastics into other disposable substitutes."

Authorities should instead try to reduce waste with a multipronged approach, such as establishing an ecosystem for reusable containers and tableware for food takeaways, she said.

The environment minister earlier said authorities would strengthen support for the restaurants and warned that they would resort to law enforcement actions even during the six-month grace period if repeated advice failed.

People found to have breached the ban are subject to a maximum fine of HK$100,000 (455,600 baht). Law enforcement officers can also issue HK$2,000 tickets if the retailers or people in charge of such catering premises are caught red-handed.

The ban also covers products with non-plastic alternatives, such as cotton buds, umbrella covers and glow sticks.

A lack of public knowledge about a separate waste-charging scheme has already forced the government to delay its implementation from April 1 to Aug 1.


This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2758734/hong-kong-restaurants-ready-for-disposable-plastics-ban


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