LettersDon’t stop at plastic straws if you want to go totally green
- A drive to shun plastic straws in the City University canteen is likely to have little overall impact if they are available upon request
- CityU should go much further in its no-plastics drive
I refer to the City University of Hong Kong acting to reduce plastic waste on its campus. As a former student of the university, I am concerned about plastic straws being available upon request. Also, since the university canteen has not stopped distributing plastic tableware, including cutlery, the restriction on plastic straws can appear to be only a superficial environmental protection policy.
The university should revise its policy to make it effective, and take environmental audits into account to verify the performance of its policy actions.
I suggest that the canteen do away with not only plastic straws but all plastic tableware, and distribute them only upon request. Staff and students should be encouraged to bring their own containers and cutlery for takeaway meals. Financial incentives may be helpful. A discount could be given to customers who forgo using plastic cutlery when they buy takeaway meals.
Some of the university’s Master of Science students have done dissertations on global standards of environmental management. I hope the university would follow those students’ suggestions and implement a sound environmental management policy.
Felix Mak, Kowloon Bay