HK Finally Bans Plastic... in 2024

Finally putting a stop to using single-use plastic tableware

Hong Kong is finally taking the giant step to ban single-use plastic tableware from Earth Day on April 22, 2024. 

There will be two phases: The first prohibits the sale and distribution of plastic tableware, such as cutlery, plastic straws, stirrers, plates and cups. 

Some items that will be banned from next April

Restaurants won't be able to provide plastic tableware for customers to dine-in either, while hotels and guest houses won't be able to distribute plastic toiletries and plastic water bottles in rooms.

The second phase starts in 2025, which will ban the sale and distribution of multipack rings (the plastic used to keep canned drinks together), tablecloths, and even plastic stemmed dental floss.

For many Hongkongers and restaurants, using plastic tablecloths is a staple -- it makes cleaning up so much easier. But alas that will be no more. It will be interesting to see how the catering industry deals with this. Some households may hoard as much plastic tablecloth as they can!

The hospitality industry and the suppliers that sell them the small plastic bottles of shampoo and body lotion, plastic toothbrushes and other toiletries may see this as an excellent way to cut costs, and resort to offering soaps in large bottles (that they hope guests won't steal)... 

How water will be served in hotel rooms will be interesting, as one would assume bottled water would be cleaner than water served in a reusable container. Perhaps they will go back to when rooms had thermoses of hot water?

Small hotel toiletries will be banned as well

Nevertheless, these steps are a good start for Hong Kong, which has literally dragged its feet for years on this issue. It's time people start to carry their own reusable cups and keep utensils with them at work. It's not hard to do...