Reuse containers to cut 70 per cent of waste from throwaway plastics, environmental group tells Hongkongers
- ‘Eat Without Waste’ report by ADM Capital Foundation shows a total of 3.9 billion single-use takeaway containers were sent to landfills in 2019, with figure expected to rise to 4.2 billion by 2030
- If diners brought their own containers for takeaway food, it would prevent 2.89 billion pieces of single-use plastics from entering landfills, a 70 per cent drop from 2030 estimate
Hongkongers will have to switch to reusable containers to cut 70 per cent of the waste generated by single-use plastic takeaway receptacles, an environmental organisation has found.
The “Eat Without Waste” report by ADM Capital Foundation, released on Tuesday, said Hongkongers used on average 2.4 single-use takeaway containers per meal in 2019, and that a total of 3.9 billion such receptacles were sent to landfills that year. The figure was expected to balloon to 4.2 billion by 2030 due to population growth.
The organisation urged authorities to speed up a proposed ban on throwaway cutlery and containers – expected to start in 2025 – and launch campaigns to encourage residents to recycle used containers and bring their own.
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“Hong Kong has a strong food culture, but it’s expressed very often in eating outside, taking food home or to the office, and eating at construction sites, for example,” said Helga Vanthournout, a senior adviser to the organisation.
The 2019 figure, estimated using a combination of market data and interviews with restaurant operators, only refers to containers and cups, and does not include other pieces of single-use tableware such as stirrers, cutlery or straws.
Vanthournout’s research found that if most diners switched to bringing their own containers for takeaway food, it would prevent 2.89 billion pieces of single-use plastics from entering landfills, a 70 per cent decrease from the 2030 estimate.
The number of such containers thrown out during the pandemic would have increased, Vanthournout added, but as the trend had yet to settle, the growth estimate for 2030 only took into account population growth.
“The trend has gone up and that has been measured, so the 5.3 per cent growth by 2030 is an underestimation,” she said.
The report cited a survey of 21 food and beverage outlets that estimated a 30 per cent to 50 per cent increase in delivery orders from the start of the pandemic in March 2020 to April 2021. A separate survey of 2,000 consumers by Greeners Action last year also found a 55 per cent increase in takeaway meals during the public health crisis.
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Environmental authorities have warned that the city’s landfills will be unable to handle the volume of waste if the problem is not tackled. The government has taken steps to address the issue, such as launching a two-month public consultation on the proposed ban on single-use plastic items at restaurants.
The first stage is expected to be implemented in 2025, with a ban on the local sale of disposable expanded polystyrene tableware. Dining outlets will also be prohibited from offering single-use cutlery, throwaway plastic straws, stirrers or plates.
Providing disposable plastic cups, cup lids or food containers to dine-in customers will also be forbidden. The ban on such items will be extended to takeaway service in the second phase.
But Vanthournout said 2025 was too far off.
“There’s nothing to stop the government from immediately starting a campaign to encourage residents to bring their own containers and recycle single-use ones,” she said.
While many local restaurant chains had already switched to biodegradable or paper-based containers to reduce the environmental impact, she warned that the city did not actually have facilities to handle composting, which meant those boxes also entered landfills.
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Vanthournout urged residents to consider dining in instead for a better eating experience overall. She also acknowledged it could be overwhelming for residents to have to immediately cut out all single-use tableware.
Customers could also opt for recyclable materials in their bid to help the environment, according to researcher Ashley Bang.
“If you used a coffee cup which is made from recyclable plastic rather than a foam food box, which is virtually unrecyclable, there’s also a significant reduction,” she said.
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Separately, an analysis by Greenpeace found 200 million pieces of single-use plastic wrapping from just four products sold in local supermarkets in 2020 – rice, instant noodles, Chinese noodles and sugar – would be enough to circle the Earth twice, coming up to a total length of 80,000km.
The group urged the government to regulate the import of single-use plastic products and control their sale and distribution to achieve reduction at the source.
