Hong Kong to "ban plastic" on 22nd April！！
Earlier, the Hong Kong government announced that the statutory effective date for the garbage levy would be changed to August 1, 2024. Although the garbage levy has been postponed, on April 22, World Earth Day, Hong Kong will implement the first phase of control of disposable plastic tableware and other plastic products. This includes prohibiting restaurants from providing or selling nine types of disposable plastic tableware, and prohibiting hotels from providing toiletries.
The regulations clearly state that the manufacture, supply, and display of oxidizable biodegradable plastic products (regardless of whether they are disposable) are prohibited.
The meaning of oxidizable biodegradable plastic in the regulations is that it belongs to plastic and additives are added to the plastic. The additives will cause the plastic to be broken into microplastics through oxidation or cause the plastic to decompose chemically.
This provision not only reflects Hong Kong's serious attitude towards environmental protection but also demonstrates the importance of taking proactive strategies in urban environmental management. The plastic restriction has entered the countdown.
Along with the plastic restriction comes the fact that takeout will no longer provide plastic tableware. Starting on April 22, the first phase of control of disposable plastic products will begin, and small and large shops will be prohibited from providing disposable plastic tableware, such as stirrers, straws, knives, and forks. Some restaurants will provide non-plastic tableware for dine-in, but some may require customers to purchase their own.
Many large chain restaurants have already switched to wooden or paper tableware. Takeout customers can purchase a utensil set.
There are three of them:
(1) Stainless steel environmental protection cutlery bag: including stainless steel knife, stainless steel soup spoon, stainless steel fork, napkin
(2) Chinese cutlery bag: including bamboo soup spoon, bamboo chopsticks, napkins
(3) Western-style cutlery bag: including wooden knife, bamboo soup spoon, wooden fork, napkin
The Environmental Protection Department has tested various non-plastic tableware and found that many paper tableware items did not soften after half an hour and only a few softened after being soaked in soup for an hour. The department suggests that in addition to paper soup spoons, there are many other materials to choose from, including wood, bamboo, sugarcane pulp, wood pulp, and grass pulp when choosing eco-friendly tableware to drink soup. Restaurants should choose suitable tableware according to the dishes they serve. If the tableware needs to be in contact with hot soup or hot water for a long time, bamboo or wooden tableware is generally more suitable.
