Govt confident plastic ban will get underway in April
The Environment and Ecology Bureau on Wednesday said it is confident that the first phase of a new ban on disposable plastic tableware and various other plastic items will come into effect as planned on April 22.  In a Legislative Council document, the bureau said it has visited about 20,000 restaurants since the end of last year to explain how they will no longer be able to give customers items such as plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery or plates. Plastic cups, lids and food containers will also be banned, but initially only for dine-in customers.  The bureau estimated that it will be able to visit another 12,000 catering premises by the end of this month as part of its education efforts.  It also said it will help pay for green groups to distribute non-plastic tableware to about 7,000 small snacks and drinks premises in the coming two months. The first phase of the ban will also affect hotels, which will no longer be allowed to give guests free plastic bottles of water, or bathroom items made of plastic such as plastic-handled toothbrushes, plastic-packed toothpaste and body washes in plastic containers.  Other items to be prohibited across the city include umbrella bags, cotton buds and party hats. The second phase of the plastics ban, due to come into effect in 2025, will cover more tableware items – with an end to exemptions for takeaways – as well as some tablecloths, ear plugs and dental floss.