Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region kicked off the first stage of its single-use plastics ban on Monday, starting a six-month buffer period with no harsh enforcement to give the community time to learn the new regulations.
Restaurants are banned from offering nine types of products made of expanded polystyrene — a nonbiodegradable material — such as cutlery, straws, plates, cups and lids, as well as food containers.
Retailers are also prohibited from selling cotton buds with plastic parts, umbrella bags and many other single-use plastic products. Plastic-handled toothbrushes and combs, shower supplies packed in plastic containers, and free plastic bottles of water are no longer available in hotel rooms.
Wong Gwan, a resident in her 50s living in Aberdeen, expressed her support for the regulation as she ate at a fried chicken restaurant. However, she called for an alternative for single-use plastic gloves to keep people from getting their hands greasy.
“Today I used more tissues to wipe my hands, which is even less environmentally friendly,” she said.
Wong also said that the wooden spoons were too flat to ladle soups, and paper cutlery softened when in liquids for a long time. She hoped the quality of tableware would improve. Another resident, surnamed Lan, said he usually does not ask for plastic cutlery when buying takeout food, and thinks the new regulation will have little impact on him. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
