Don’t be half-hearted about Hong Kong’s plastic ban
- Already, environment officials are warning of more delays in case of business difficulties, while a government website listing plastic-free alternatives may not tell the full story
The first phase of the plastic ban covers the sale and distribution of a range of items including expanded polystyrene tableware, cutlery, straws, stirrers and plates. Restaurants will not be allowed to offer them to customers, whether they are dining in or picking up a takeaway. Disposable plastic cups, lids and other containers will also not be offered to those dining in – in the second phase, this will extend to takeaways.
The EPD must strengthen its gatekeeper role in addition to offering advice and information to facilitate Hong Kong’s smooth transition to eco-friendly alternatives and approaches.
First, it should offer consumers advice on how to quit the single-use habit while making genuinely eco-friendly choices. Many plastic-free products listed on its website, for instance, are disposable and switching to using them will still generate single-use waste. Using disposables made from bamboo or other types of wood is better than using plastic – but it would be even better to leave those trees in the ground.
Second, the EPD should check that the products are plastic-free before allowing them to be listed on its website, especially as those in the food and drinks industry believe they are abiding by regulations in using those products.
It is unclear if the EPD has inspected every product listed or conducted random checks, and whether it relies on the supplied test reports or its own investigations.
Hong Kong must tackle plastic pollution at source, not look to dubious fixes
One, perfluorooctanoic acid, accumulates in nature and our bodies, and has been classified by the World Health Organization as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”. In Hong Kong, this chemical and its related compounds are included in the EPD’s latest list of hazardous chemicals, which went into effect on October 20.
The questions, then, are whether those in Hong Kong’s food and drinks industry are aware of the amended regulation and whether the EPD-listed alternatives to plastic are truly free of plastic and toxic chemicals.
We rely on the authorities to clarify these uncertainties – and to avoid creating a new problem in trying to solve one in the first place.
Edwin Lau Che-feng is executive director of The Green Earth