Hong Kong’s plastics ban: 70% of restaurants make switch to eco-friendly utensils a month after policy launch
- Ecology and Environment Bureau announces figure after visiting around 7,000 restaurants to check on their progress since first phase of ban took effect in late April
- Post observes small number of coffee shops and bubble tea places in popular shopping district yet to let go of throwaway plastic straws
But the Post observed that a small number of coffee shops and bubble tea places in a popular shopping district had yet to get rid of their throwaway plastic straws.
The Ecology and Environment Bureau announced the uptake figure in a Facebook post on Wednesday, saying officials had visited around 7,000 restaurants to check on their progress.
It added that between 70 and 80 per cent of the venues’ takeaway customers had opted out of receiving disposable tableware.
“Just one month into the transition period, most residents have gradually adapted to and accepted reusable utensils, developing a habit of going plastic-free – which is an encouraging situation,” it said.
The Post, meanwhile, visited 22 coffee shops and bubble tea places in Causeway Bay and found about 59 per cent of them were still providing single-use plastic straws to customers.
Nine of the outlets offered paper straws, with some charging HK$1 (13 US cents) each for paper straws and bags.
