Reuse containers to cut 70 per cent of waste from throwaway plastics, environmental group tells Hongkongers
- ‘Eat Without Waste’ report by ADM Capital Foundation shows a total of 3.9 billion single-use takeaway containers were sent to landfills in 2019, with figure expected to rise to 4.2 billion by 2030
- If diners brought their own containers for takeaway food, it would prevent 2.89 billion pieces of single-use plastics from entering landfills, a 70 per cent drop from 2030 estimate
Hongkongers will have to switch to reusable containers to cut 70 per cent of the waste generated by single-use plastic takeaway receptacles, an environmental organisation has found.
The “Eat Without Waste” report by ADM Capital Foundation, released on Tuesday, said Hongkongers used on average 2.4 single-use takeaway containers per meal in 2019, and that a total of 3.9 billion such receptacles were sent to landfills that year. The figure was expected to balloon to 4.2 billion by 2030 due to population growth.
The organisation urged authorities to speed up a proposed ban on throwaway cutlery and containers – expected to start in 2025 – and launch campaigns to encourage residents to recycle used containers and bring their own.
“Hong Kong has a strong food culture, but it’s expressed very often in eating outside, taking food home or to the office, and eating at construction sites, for example,” said Helga Vanthournout, a senior adviser to the organisation.
The 2019 figure, estimated using a combination of market data and interviews with restaurant operators, only refers to containers and cups, and does not include other pieces of single-use tableware such as stirrers, cutlery or straws.
Vanthournout’s research found that if most diners switched to bringing their own containers for takeaway food, it would prevent 2.89 billion pieces of single-use plastics from entering landfills, a 70 per cent decrease from the 2030 estimate.
