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OpinionLetters

Hong Kong’s waste problem is tied to how diners order meals

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Diners at fast food chains such as McDonald’s often eat the parts of a meal they like and waste the rest. Photo: Felix Wong
Letters
I couldn’t agree more with your correspondent A. L. Nanik (“Reducing Hong Kong’s huge volumes of waste will require a lot more effort from all”, December 14).

I often see people ordering a medium-sized meal at fast food eateries, but then they only want the burger and drinks, and leave almost their entire packet of French fries untouched.

Perhaps it is time that popular chains such as McDonald's changed their menu. For example, after identifying items on the menu that usually have the most leftovers, they could consider reducing the portion size for these.

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Another issue is that people ordering takeaways often ask for a bag to carry their food. However, the bag the server gives them is often not only non-biodegradable, but also non-recyclable.

Thus it would be better if the Hong Kong government educated people on bringing their own reusable shopping or takeaway bags, in this way a lot of waste can be reduced.

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Also, children’s meals in McDonald's nowadays often come with a free gift. Often, the kids only want the toy, so that they can have a whole series to complete their toy set, and have little interest in the meal. In my view, this actually gives them an incentive to waste food, so it is better to drop the toy scheme.

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