Hong Kong’s single-use plastics ban begins with little disruption at restaurant chains
- Most customers at chain outlets in busy business district decline to pay extra for alternatives to plastic cutlery as ban gets under way
- But industry head says about 70 per cent of eateries citywide yet to offer alternatives to prohibited items amid six-month grace period
But Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, said about 70 per cent of his organisation’s 18,000 eateries were yet to offer alternatives to the prohibited items amid a six-month grace period.
Some small businesses also said they still needed to clear the last of their stock of plastic cutlery and styrofoam boxes.
“We still have a few more bags of plastic tableware left, and we will start giving wooden and paper cutlery after they are used up,” said Gary Ngan, owner of a snack shop in Wan Chai.
He added he would provide the items until they ran out, and had no plans to charge customers extra for the new alternatives.
Under the first phase of the ban, styrofoam products and throwaway plastic utensils such as cutlery and straws were banned for takeaway purchases.
Single-use plastic tableware was no longer available to patrons dining in.
