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| These cutlery pieces will disappear from restaurants and stores |
Stating on Apr 22, Monday, all restaurants and merchants will be banned from selling and using single-use plastic products, including tableware, toothpicks, straws and stirrers, and even plastic-stemmed cotton buds.
But with just nine days to go before the big shift,
about 80 % of small and medium-sized restaurants have yet to start using alternatives
to plastic, said the Environmental Protection Department.
This is despite intense information dissemination
and public education campaign by the EPD for the past six to nine months, said
EPD Director Samuel Chui.
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| PINDUTIN DITO |
“We have been continuously discussing with the trade
and to introduce different types of non-plastic cutlery and also the materials
so that the trade can use. In fact, we also have a six-month period so that
they can learn how to use it and to adapt to the situation," said Chui.
During the six-month adaptation period, no
enforcement action will be taken, or penalties imposed on violators.
Instead, officials will focus on education and
dealing with problems that arise rather than enforcement.
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| TAWAG NA! |
Chui said the department has reached out to 20,000
eateries and would continue to help those who struggle to find affordable
alternatives.
There will also be promotional posters and videos at
border crossings to educate tourists not familiar with the new policy, which will
also ban hotels from providing complimentary amenities such as toothbrush,
shampoo and soap to guests.
The EPD said it has advised hotels to remind their
customers of the new measure so tourists will be able to decide on time if they
want to bring their own toiletries, or buy supplies from the hotel.
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| PINDUTIN DITO |
The ban on single-use plastics in restaurants takes
effect four months before a more stringent measure is taken to regulate waste
disposal in Hong Kong.
From August this year, all household waste can only
be disposed of in designated plastic bags which must be bought from convenience
stores. For oversized garbage that does not fit into the designated bags, waste
labels must be bought and attached to each item.
For so-called private waste collectors, fees will be
charged based on the weight being disposed of at landfills or refuse transfer
stations.
A six-month phasing-in period will also be
implemented when the waste charging fee plan takes effect. After this, a fixed
penalty tickets of $1,500 each will be issued to offenders on the spot, while
serious and repeat offenders could be issued court summons.
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