By giving out umbrella covers when it rains, Hong Kong government ‘taking lead’ in plastic waste, green group says
Greeners Action investigation finds most bag handout points at 83 buildings lacked guidance for users
By giving out covers for umbrellas at buildings it manages, the Hong Kong government is “taking the lead in producing plastic waste”, a local green group declared on Thursday.
Greeners Action said it investigated 83 buildings managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department from July to August, and found 60 of them – or just over 7 in 10 – gave out plastic bags for umbrellas on rainy days.
Most bag handout points lacked any guidance for users, beyond one displaying a sign asking people to “make better use of umbrella bags”.
“We are very disappointed that while the government has been encouraging citizens to adopt a greener lifestyle, some departments have failed to follow their own environmentally friendly policies,” Greeners Action’s Yip Chui-man said.
In 2016 – the last year for which statistics are available – plastic comprised one-fifth of the 10,345 tonnes of municipal waste sent daily to Hong Kong’s landfills. The 2,000 or so tonnes of plastic waste is roughly equivalent to the weight of 135 double-decker buses.
According to Yip, the department in each of its annual reports from 2009 to 2016 said it would “seriously review” the need to provide umbrella bags to the public. She added the reports stated “plastic recycling bins would be provided to collect the used bags”.
