Gov’t proposes to ban disposable plastic tableware in catering premises

The proposed ban applies to both dine-in and takeaway customers.

The government has submitted a bill that prohibits the local sale and provision of disposable plastic tableware for dine-in and takeaway customers.

The implementation of the Product Eco-responsibility (Amendment) Bill 2023 will be in two phases. In the first phase, Hong Kong will prohibit the sale of small, expanded polystyrene and other disposable plastic tableware that are difficult to recycle.

In the second phase, the city will also prohibit the provision of any disposable plastic tableware for dine-in and takeaway customers at catering premises.

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The bill will also regulate the manufacturing, selling, and distribution of disposable plastic products in two phases.

The first phase will prohibit the sale and provision of “products that either have established non-plastic alternatives or are not necessities.”

It will also ban the giving of disposable toiletries and in-room plastic-bottled water for free in hotels and guesthouses and the manufacturing, selling, and free distribution of oxo-degradable plastic products.

Under the second phase, the sale of disposable plastic products, including multipack rings, table cloth, non-medical use transparent gloves, and plastic-stemmed dental floss will be banned. Provision of earplugs in hotels and guesthouses will also be restricted

The Environment and Ecology Board proposed that the first phase of the regulation will begin six months after the passage of the amended bill, either in late 2023 or early 2024.

The bureau also encouraged businesses to prepare for the control measures and “jointly build a plastic-free culture.”