Green Talks 
Waste Reduction and Recycling
Takeaways with single-use plastic brings waste problem. The implementation single-use plastic ban phase in 2024 is leading Hong Kong to a new chapter.
Stepping into a new era of Bring Your Own Stuff
Why it matters to you?
According to the Environmental Protection Department, in 2022, more than 29 million pieces of plastic tableware were disposed by Hong Kong people every day.
Using plastic tableware takes you a few minutes, while the decomposition cost it several hundred years. Most of the disposed plastic tableware enter the soil and oceans, and then fragmented as microplastics. The microplastics are now appearing in the oceans, freshwater, rainwater, animal bodies, and everywhere. It has become a new ecological disaster!
In the end, the one who will be suffering from the disaster brought by these ‘short-lived’ plastics would be us, and our younger generations. However, we have brought ourselves a moment of change. Starting from 22 April 2024, let’s start to live a green life with our own tableware and containers while ordering takeout.
Conclusion - What you should do?
The recycling system in Hong Kong is getting better but still not very sound nor completed, changes and adjustments are often made. We encourage you to contact the collection centers/units directly if you want more details and follow their guidelines
Community Green Stations, Recycling Store and the Recycling Spots in most of the districts provide citizens good platforms to collect many kinds of recyclables including the above-mentioned single-use containers
Last words: Recycling is only a remedial measure. A better measure is to avoid using disposable plastics!
