About 30 pc eateries have switched to disposable eco-friendly tableware: Simon Wong

Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades president Simon Wong Ka-wo said during a radio program on Monday that about 30 percent of the city's 18,000 eateries have provided paper, wooden, or bamboo utensils.

Wong, who appeared on a radio program today, said that the cost of paper, wooden, or bamboo utensils in the city is higher than that of plastic ones, but it has yet to reach an unacceptable level. 

He raised the example that the average paper straw is about 30 percent more expensive than its plastic counterpart.

He also added that as the amount of incoming supply increases, the cost of eco-friendly tableware will gradually decrease.

He said that about 30 percent of the eateries in Hong Kong have started to use disposable eco-friendly tableware, which are primarily large chain restaurants.

The remaining small and medium-scale restaurants have yet to switch to disposable eco-friendly tableware due to cost issues.

The ban also means hotels can no longer give guests free plastic items, such as disposable razors, toothbrushes, and shower caps.

Meanwhile, the executive director of the Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners, Caspar Tsui Ying-wai, said the single-use plastic ban would increase their costs by HK$300,000 a year, and they are still looking for replacement items like shower caps and plastic razors.

He added that they are slowly adjusting, not because they were against the ban but because it takes time to do so.