'Takeaway Surge Leading To Jump In Plastic Waste'

A green group is urging Hong Kong restaurants to encourage people to use their own containers when ordering takeaways, warning that plastic waste is accumulating at a sharply higher rate now as more meals are getting delivered due to the coronavirus situation.

Greeners Action said on Thursday that they surveyed over 2,000 people over the first week of April about their takeaway habits and concluded that the volume of single-use plastics given out for takeaways during the pandemic is 2.2 times more than the figure for last year.

It said more than 100 million pieces of disposable cutlery and plastic bags are disposed of every week now, as the number of takeaways has jumped as people practice social distancing in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The green group said 52 percent of those it surveyed said they had bought more takeouts in recent days and they usually come with a plastic bag, meal box, straws or some disposable utensils.

The group’s senior project officer, Jac Lun, said a family of four can get up to 26 single-use plastic items when they order takeaways.

She urged customers to opt out from receiving plastic utensils, as well as to collect their food at the eateries, using their own containers.

Lan also said this is a good approach, as no one can guarantee how hygienic the plastic utensils sent by shops are.

“I still think people can get different ways to get takeaways. If they feel uncomfortable about going out to get takeaways, the first option we suggest would be you can cook yourself,” Jac Lun said.

The group also said restaurants should consider offering rebates to customers who bring their own containers to collect the food.