Recently, the Director of the Hong Kong Environment Bureau, Mr Wong Kam-sing, made a report on the introduction of the Plastic Drink Container Producer Responsibility Scheme when attending the "World Environment Day 2018" event. He proposed to encourage the recycling of plastic bottles of beverages with economic incentives and consider the use of intelligent recycling machines to enhance recycling. Efficiency. Hong Kong has been lagging behind other countries in reducing plastic waste. One of the plastic wastes is used by Hong Kong people every day, but it does not necessarily notice that it has a great impact on the environment. That is the plastic straws that exist in major hotels.
It is appealed to enterprises at this stage to assume social responsibilities and not to provide plastic drinking pipes to customers. In the long run, the Government should adopt legislation to reduce the use of plastic drinking tubes and other disposable plastic products in restaurants to protect the oceans.
Hong Kong's plastics slow progress, plastic straw can not be ignored
Hong Kong's slowdown in plastics is slow. Last year, Greenpeace members climbed the Central Ferris wheel to express their dissatisfaction with the serious plastic pollution problem in Hong Kong.
Although Hong Kong implemented a plastic bag levy in 2015, according to the statistics of the Environmental Protection Department in 2016, the amount of plastic bags dumped at landfills did not fall and rose, increasing by 10% to 4.3 billion. The bag is just one of the most common plastic wastes produced by Hong Kong people. Another common plastic waste is a plastic straw.
Plastic straws are one of the top ten marine wastes on the planet. It may take only a few minutes to use a plastic straw, but the decomposition may take 400 to 500 years.
According to a global survey by the United Nations, plastic drinking straw is one of the most common plastic wastes. Only 9% of these plastic wastes can be recycled. About 12% will be burned, and the remaining 79% will eventually accumulate. Landfill, or into the natural environment.
Plastic trash lives longer than anyone else. They can survive for many centuries in the ocean and on land. It is difficult to completely decompose in nature. Eventually, it will pollute the oceans and cause damage to marine life.
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres further pointed out that unless the current habit of using plastics is improved, by 2050, plastic particles in the ocean will be more than fish.
According to a survey conducted by the Hong Kong Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, Hong Kong people use up to 1.44 billion plastic drinking tubes every year. The situation is worthy of attention.
In the past, different organizations have held a no-congestion campaign. The results have been remarkable. Last year, the tertiary academics held activities to reduce the use of plastic drinking tubes. The Hong Kong Baptist University launched the "Dip Big No Drinking Action" to make plastic drinking tubes on the campus. The usage rate has dropped by 90%.
The University of Hong Kong has also implemented the "No Drinking Week" and has also received good results.
The local eight subvented universities have also held "8 Drinking Pipes" environmental protection activities to hold "No Drinking Week" or "No Drinking Day". The restaurants on the campus will only provide drinking pipes when requested.
NGO activities bear fruit Taiwan's three-stage regulation of waste rubber
The Hong Kong Ocean Park Conservation Fund (Conservation Fund) last year held a "No Drinking Day" to encourage the public to reduce the use of disposable plastic drinking fountains. According to a survey conducted by the Conservation Fund last month (May), compared with the same survey last year, It is estimated that Hong Kong residents have reduced the use of approximately 260 million plastic drinking straws over last year. The Conservation Fund launched the “No Drinking Sports” on Tuesday (5th) and cooperated with more than 20 major chain catering groups to launch “no Drinking Management Partners, "No Drinking No. 8", "No Drinking Friday" plan.
The above activities prove that the hotel does not take the initiative to provide plastic drinking tubes, which has a considerable effect on reducing plastic waste. While reducing the use of plastic drinking tubes, Hong Kong is not the first case. Governments around the world have regulated plastic drinking tubes to reduce the oceans. The pollution, Taiwan is an example.
In February this year, the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency launched the "Ocean Waste Management Action Plan". The program targets plastic bags, plastic straws, disposable plastic cups, etc., and is regulated in three stages. In the plastic pipe, the first stage, In 2020, restaurants are forbidden to provide plastic drinking tubes when customers are eating. The second stage is 2025. All the operators can't provide plastic drinking tubes for free. Consumers need to pay for the purchase. The price will be higher than the current. Finally, in 2030 , will be a total ban on plastic drinking pipe and other disposable plastic products.
We hope that companies will take up social responsibilities first, and governments will be important promoters.
At present, Hong Kong does not have a legal regulation of plastic straws. It has to rely on companies to take up social responsibility for protecting the oceans. In this way, enterprises can reduce the provision of plastic drinking pipes in stages. Restaurants can also choose certain days as "no drinking days". , Do not take the initiative to provide plastic drinking tube, so that customers accustomed. Then, throughout the year are not actively provide plastic drinking tube.
In addition, hotels can also consider the use of biodegradable drinking tubes to supply customers in need.
The government is an important motivator in reducing the use of plastic drinking straw and reducing overall plastic waste. The government must continue to raise public awareness of environmental protection so that they can understand the importance of plastic reduction for themselves or the next generation and cultivate a good habit. In the long run, the government can refer to Taiwan and establish a phased reduction policy for various types of disposable plastic products and provide assistance to the needy restaurants. Only a two-pronged approach can make Hong Kong a sustainable place for development. .
In the Mainland, although there is already a policy of charging plastic bags, there has been little success. The huge population base and the vast amount of plastic waste generated each year are incredibly large, while the average urban and rural living standards are not so good. Most people seem to be just jokes.
'Green Hills is Jinshan Yinshan'. In recent years, under the guidance of the government, more and more people and localities have begun to recognize the importance of environmental protection and sustainable development. Despite the grim situation, we are still firmly acting. .