New year but no new resolutions when it comes to plastic waste as Hongkongers turn their backs on reusable containers and cutlery
- Greenpeace finds that more disposable cutlery and crockery has been dumped at fairs than last year
- Events in Causeway Bay, Mong Kok and Yuen Long generated 310,000 pieces of waste over just two days
A pilot government campaign to cut plastic waste at fast-food stalls at Lunar New Year fairs has failed to capture the public’s imagination, an environmental group has found.
According to Greenpeace, customers and some stalls have been reluctant to use reusable bowls and spoons even when they are given out free of charge. As a result, more disposable cutlery and crockery has been dumped at fairs this year than last year.
“The cooked food stalls at the new year fairs are the main source of plastic waste,” said senior campaigner Kate Lin Pui-yi.
“Plastic or paper bowls and plates, stained with grease, cannot be recycled and can only go to landfill.”
Using visitor numbers from last year, on-site counts and interviews, the green group estimated that three major fairs – Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, Mong Kok and Yuen Long – produced a total of 310,000 items of disposable cutlery and crockery on average a day for the past two days – up 5 per cent from last year’s record of 295,000 items a day.