Hong Kong retailers are reining in their use of plastic following pressure from environmentalists.
Fast food chain Café de Coral said its branches will only provide plastic straws upon request from January 1. The restaurant said it already has an existing policy to give wooden sticks for drinks that need stirring instead of plastic ones, and allows customers to bring their own meal boxes. It said it is looking into a design to combine plastic forks and spoons to reduce the number of plastic utensils provided for takeaway meals.
“We expect Café de Coral’s plastic use can be reduced by half,” the chain said.
Another fast food chain – McDonald’s – also announced that from Monday, branches will not give away plastic straws unless upon request.
Wooden sticks will be provided for drinks that require stirring.
Meanwhile, furniture chain IKEA said all its Hong Kong stores will stop providing disposable plastic bags from January 1.
IKEA said that, according to a report by the Environmental Protection Department, around 690 tons of plastic bags were dumped in landfills every day – enough to fill 40 double-decker buses.
IKEA will also provide a HK$1 discount for customers who bring their own food containers when purchasing takeaway meals at its stores. It said it hoped the move will have a positive effect upon the environment.
The moves follow months of campaigning by environmentalists, including NGO Greenpeace which, last week, urged major fast-food chains to offer HK$3 discount to customers who bring their own utensils.
