Hong Kong authorities have fined six restaurants for not complying with a disposable plastics ban since the policy was officially enacted in October.
Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said on Sunday that authorities had received 75 complaints in the three-odd months that the ban has been in effect.
Among them, 59 restaurants were issued warnings and six were fined HK$2,000, Tse said in an interview with Commercial Radio.
The first phase of the city-wide plastic ban began last April with a six-month “adaption period” that ended in October. The ban forbids the use of styrofoam tableware as well as most single-use plastics such as utensils, stirrers and plates.
See also: Hong Kong restaurants cut waste – and sometimes costs – as plastics ban goes into force
Plastic cups and food containers may still be sold and used for takeaway but cannot be distributed for dine-in purposes.
The new rules have prompted restaurants to turn to green alternatives, such as tableware made out of wood. The government has also encouraged the public to bring their own reusable tableware, as well as urged restaurants to offer reusable tableware lending services for takeaway customers.
The ban comes amid Hong Kong authorities’ efforts to reduce the use of disposable plastics. After the adaptation period concluded, the government said the new regulations over the past few months had already effectively cut plastic consumption and “successfully initiated a trend of waste reduction among members of the public.”
No timetable for second phase of ban
The current regulations fall under the first phase of the plastic ban. Under the second phase, the ban will be extended to more types of tableware including plastic cups, cup lids, food containers and food container covers.
While these are currently only banned for dine-in services, they will also be disallowed for takeaway customers during the second phase.
The second phase of the ban was originally scheduled for some time this year. But Tse said again on Sunday that there was no timetable for when it would begin due to the lack of viable alternatives on the market currently.
“From our experience, under the first phase, [we’ve seen] that the acceptance of alternatives by society is extremely important,” Tse said in Cantonese, adding that the government was conducting tests with industry leaders on substitutes.
“For example, currently many soup containers use plastic lids. Some restaurants changed to paper lids but there is a lot of feedback that paper lids are not as functional. The food could spill easily, so manufacturers need to improve their designs,” he added.
The implementation of Hong Kong’s waste-charging scheme was indefinitely postponed last summer amid a public backlash.
