With the government’s recent issuance of the Waste Blueprint for Hong Kong 2035, waste management issues that were looming over our city have once again been brought into the spotlight. Out of the many issues contributing to Hong Kong’s unsatisfactory performance in this area, I would like to highlight two on which progress has been stagnant – plastic waste reduction and environmental education.
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Hong Kong has witnessed a surge of single-use plastic waste being disposed of since the enforcement of dine-in bans. While pilot schemes have been launched to kick-start recycling momentum, the eventual phasing out of single-use plastics with a clear timeline must also be implemented as soon as possible if we are to make significant progress.
Reference can be taken from the European Parliament’s approval of an ambitious step-by-step single-use plastic ban and regulations. Apart from market restrictions that ban the use of plastic cutlery, straws, containers and so on, countries are required to reduce the consumption of single-use plastics that have no alternatives, such as containers for immediate consumption of prepared food, by 2026.
A few other regulations will be implemented in 2024, such as the “extended producer responsibility” principle, which holds producers of waste accountable for cleaning up waste, gathering data and raising awareness. The directive also requires a separate collection target and design requirements for plastic bottles, aiming for a 90 per cent recycling rate by 2029.
To educate the public, certain disposable products such as sanitary items and wet wipes will have compulsory markings on their packaging to inform consumers about the presence of plastic in the product, appropriate waste management options and negative environmental impacts when the product is discarded.
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China’s New Year’s resolution: bans on plastic straws, plates, non-biodegradable plastic bags
China’s New Year’s resolution: bans on plastic straws, plates, non-biodegradable plastic bags
While regulations and policies influence society from the top down, bottom-up strategies are also critical to spark changes in behaviour, with environmental education being one of the most fundamental. Because the correct attitudes and behaviour with regard to waste treatment are built over time, it would be most effective to start educating the younger generation environmentally in school.
