Macau Green Student Union President Joe Chan Chon Meng told The Macau Post Daily last week that his environmental protection group supports the government plan to ban the import of non-biodegradable single-use plastic knives, forks and spoons from the beginning of next year, but at the same time his group was worried that the catering sector might already have started to store plastic cutlery as soon as the announcement was released.
The Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) announced last Monday that the import of plastic knives, forks and spoons will be completely banned from January 1, 2023.
Chan made the remarks during an interview with The Macau Post Daily in Jardim da Vitória on Avenida de Sidónio Pais
Chan pointed out that the government’s ban on the import of disposable Styrofoam meal boxes, bowls, cups and plates from January 1 last year, followed by its ban on importing non-biodegradable single-use plastic drinking straws and drink stirrers from January 1 this year, and its latest decision to ban the import of non-biodegradable single-use plastic knives, forks and spoons from January 1 next year, showed the Environmental Protection Bureau’s determination to reduce the use of plastic in recent years.
Although the government has announced its future ban on the import of plastic cutlery, the products will remain in the local market, such as in restaurants, because they are in stock, Chan said. Consequently, Chan said, he hoped that the government will set a deadline, such as 2030, for restaurateurs to use up all the cutlery in stock, while stepping up inspections of the catering sector, so as to enhance the effectiveness of a blanket ban on the use of plastic cutlery in Macau.
Chan noted that over 90 percent of local restaurants are still using non-biodegradable single-use tableware. He said: “The number of plastic lunch boxes in recycling work every month is terrifying”, adding that the boxes occupy the largest space and weight, as well as the largest amount of polluting products, among all the recycling work. Chan underlined that in Macau all used plastic tableware is incinerated, and the “poison” that comes from it will affect the next generation.
Chan said he understood that the cost of using plastic tableware is half that of the non-biodegradable single-use tableware, adding that consumers should bear the costs themselves for tableware and also the pollution they cause. However, if the consumers do not want to pay for additional biodegradable tableware, they should take their own lunch box for takeaway food.
Tableware comprises the cutlery, crockery and glassware used in setting a table for a meal.
On the other hand, Chan said he hoped that the government could set up a more specific timetable for the overall plastic reduction measures in the future, but not as a “gift” given to the public, adding that the mainland authorities were “very efficient” in reducing plastic products by carrying out a policy on banning the use of disposable plastic products within 10 years, so as to achieve the goal of becoming a plastic-free country.
Consequently, Chan said he expected the local government to announce its schedule for the plastic reduction measures taking effect early, and to strengthen the public’s awareness of the necessity of reducing the use of plastic, so as to avoid causing strong social repercussions when the measures will finally get off the ground.
Meanwhile, Chan urged the public to reduce the use of plastic tableware, adding: “The price of a plastic box we buy only includes the production cost, but not the ecological cost, which will be paid by our next generation.”
Macau Green Student Union President Joe Chan Chon Meng poses in Jardim da Vitória on Avenida de Sidónio Pais during the interview last week. – Photo: Yuki Lei
