Green group urges govt to speed up ban on plastic tableware

According to a green group on Tuesday (Dec. 5), the government should not delay implementing a comprehensive ban on plastic tableware in the city as Hongkongers are prepared for it.

Disposable plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery and plates will be banned from April, but it will be 2025 or later before other items, such as plastic food and drink containers for takeaways, are outlawed under the government's current plans.

More than half of the more than 1,100 respondents questioned by Greeners Action between October and November indicated they would be willing to start bringing their own cutlery while meal out.

The group's Beatrice Siu said introducing a territory-wide borrow-and-return system could be an incentive for people to opt for reusable tableware."It's mostly because they find it troublesome and they don't want to bring any utensils. That's why I think the government should promote a borrow-and-return reusable tableware system," she said.

"This can make sure if people want to buy a takeaway but they haven't decided beforehand, they can borrow these utensils whenever they want."

Siu said the authorities should implement a complete ban on plastic tableware as soon as possible, instead of waiting until 2025, adding that products made out of recyclable materials such as paper and wood should also be banned eventually.