Gov'ts Half-Hearted Attempt to Cut Plastic Containers, Cutlery

Polyfoam boxes will be banned from 2025 in Hong Kong

 

Hong Kong is a disposable city -- things are easily thrown in the garbage here without much thought. Even though the plastic bag surcharge in place, people don't mind paying 50 cents for it because they didn't think to bring a bag with them. Food in takeaway boxes are mostly in styrofoam containers from local food outlets because they can't afford to pay more for cardboard boxes, but those are lined with plastic so they can't be recycled.

However, the government is now putting its foot down and banning all disposable plastic to start in 2025 -- but not providing much of a roadmap let alone solutions for eateries, who are left scrambling to figure it out on their own.

Fast-food restaurants need to pivot faster

The only plan is a two-step ban. First is banning the sale and use of disposable expanded polystyrene tableware, basically the ubiquitous white foam takeaway boxes, and eateries cannot offer throwaway tableware (disposable plates, cutlery, straws and stirrers).

In the second phase, eateries cannot provide dine-in customers with disposable cups, cup lids or food containers.

What the government should be doing is putting the onus on the consumer to realize they need to change their eating habits and bring their own food containers to restaurants to eat, or take home leftovers. It would also force fast food restaurants like McDonald's to hire dishwashers who are already scarce.

Not enough people consider bringing their own mugs to coffee shops, let alone carry their own food containers to takeaway food and their own cutlery.

Garbage like this was 200 tonnes in 2019

In 2019 Hongkongers threw out an estimated 14.6 billion pieces of plastic cutlery each year, or about 1,940 per person. 

Another crazy fact is plastic and polyfoam dining ware was 200 tonnes two years ago, equal to the weight of 13 double-decker buses.

Green groups say the ban in 2025 is too far off and should be implemented much sooner.

Greenpeace campaigner Leanne Tam Wing-lam criticized the authorities for making sluggish progress, saying it "was not difficult at all" to kick-start phase one because 26.9 percent of utensils supplied were simply disposable tableware for dine-in.

"Many restaurants have already given up offering disposable tableware to dine-in customers. You can say it's really easy to achieve phase one," she said, adding the government did not give a four-year deadline for eateries to stop giving out plastic cutlery and straws that were commonly used in homes and offices.

Again -- it goes back to the consumer. They should have their own set of cutlery at home or in the office to use. Food delivery services are offering the option of not receiving cutlery, but not everyone pays attention when ordering online.

Green groups say 2025 is too far away

Ten green groups held a joint press conference today, saying they were disappointed by the government's planning.

"The sizes of the plastic tableware banned in phase two are much larger than those in phase one. The environmental pollution it [will cause] is more serious. But the government does not have an exact time table for banning these tableware which will cause more pollution," said Tam.

She also pointed out pre-packaged food products were excluded from the ban, and so eateries may take advantage of this loophole to avoid using tableware made of other materials.

And if plasticware is banned, it may lead to an increase in waste of other materials, pointed out by Yu Kin-kong, assistant education and project manager of Green Power. He noted some paper food containers and cups could contain plastic and other materials, making it  harder to recycle.

Also many do not realize that once food touches a paper box that may not be lined with plastic, it also cannot be recycled because of hygiene purposes.

So we are again back to where we started -- the consumer must take more responsibility for their food choices and how they want to eat and store their food.

Food delivery companies are definitely exacerbating the problem. If the government is serious about cutting down the number of food containers going to the landfill then it needs to start getting consumers educated about the seriousness of the issue and offer solutions that people must follow now.

The earth cannot handle all this garbage anymore.

Buyers Battle Out for Flats Under HK$5M

The Met.Azure has a "sea view", and 25 minutes from MTR

 

It's quite incredible that despite the coronavirus pandemic that caused lots of people to lose jobs or businesses went belly up that the Hong Kong real estate market continues to be red hot.

The project features nano flats less than 300 sq ft

This weekend developer Wang On sold out all 143 flats at its The Met.Azure project in Tsing Yi, with 13 buyers for every available flat that is not that convenient -- a 25-minute walk to the Tsing Yi MTR station. The project, which will be scheduled to be completed by December 2022, has micro flats ranging from 181 sq ft to 257 sq ft, with prices from HK$3.89 million to HK$4.61 million respectively, an average of HK$20,638 per square foot. 

The flats are aimed at first-time buyers, who can get up to 90 percent mortgage financing.

"There is strong demand for this type of flats, which allow [first-time buyers] the chance to enter the market with budgets of less than HK$5 million," said Midland Realty's residential division chief executive Sammy Po. "There's even full sea view" from the flats, he said. 

How does one squeeze into a flat less than 300 square feet? The bed is hoisted up like a bunk bed to give the impression of more space. Creative, but definitely aimed at buyers in their 20s and 30s.

Bedrooms are bunk beds, above living space

Nevertheless, analysts believe that with the pandemic under control in the city, and unemployment rates going down, people feel more confident in investing in a home -- despite almost 90,000 people left in the past year.

Maybe they are taking advantage of people leaving, as some 10,000 homes were sold this year, up 20 percent this year.

The Housing Affordability Index climbed to 75 percent in the second quarter, way above the 20-year average of 47 percent. This means home prices are still losing touch with economic fundamentals and residents' affordability. 

It's also quite amazing young people are prepared to spend the next 20, 30 years paying off for these nano flats in a bid to get up the housing ladder... in less than 10 years will the average price be HK$30,000 per square foot?

Karaoke Songs Could Breach National Security

Karaoke singers will have to be mindful of their song choices

 

Perhaps it was going to happen eventually, but the Chinese government has come down on karaoke songs, banning those that are perceived to "endanger national security".

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism will establish a blacklist of banned songs deemed to have "illegal content", such as endangering national security and unity, inciting ethnic hatred, or promoting cults, gambling and vice.

Venues need to delete songs with "illegal content"

This is not new -- apparently China regularly removes songs deemed to be "politically incorrect" from domestic music streaming services, but now karaoke fans can't belt them out in the privacy of their own party rooms.

In its announcement published on Tuesday, the ministry did not explain how a song could land in the blacklist or reveal which songs endangered national security.

The national security law implemented in Hong Kong last June effectively criminalized public performances of songs sung during the anti-government protests in 2019.

That same year, Chinese music streaming sites also removed unofficial protest anthems, such as Les Miserables' Do You Hear The People Sing, as well as some songs by Chinese rock musician Li Zhi that reference the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

The new regulations come into effect October 1, which means before then karaoke content providers must audit their catalogues of these blacklisted songs, adding the ministry may establish a central expert review group for songs.

Some songs by rocker Li Zhi may be blacklisted

"Since there are almost 50,000 karaoke and entertainment venues nationwide, law enforcement and supervision is particularly difficult," said an unnamed ministry source quoted by Xinhua news agency.

"The basic song library of karaoke venues' systems can have over 100,000 songs, and it can be difficult for venue operators to identify illegal tracks."

It's made even harder when there is no official list of banned songs and so karaoke operators will have to guess.

Chinese bureaucracy at its finest, and a way to suddenly create employment to enforce the banned songs...

More Civil Society Groups Targeted by Police

 

CHRF organized several peaceful marches in 2019

The Hong Kong Police have set their next target on the Civil Human Rights Front, which is best known for organizing the annual July 1 protest marches from 2003 until last year. The group is reportedly disbanding.

And even though the government has said the national security law is not retroactive from July 1, 2020, Police Commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee says CHRF is suspected of violating the national security law in recent years.

Siu says groups can be investigated anytime

Pro-Beijing newspaper Ta Kung Pao quoted Siu as saying the police will investigate whether CHRF has violated the national security law.

The front had organized some of the biggest peaceful protest marches since the handover, in particular their first rally with over 500,000 protesting against Article 23 and against the extradition bill in 2019.

Siu said the CHRF had never registered with the authorities since its establishment in 2002.

However, every year, the police coordinated with the CHRF in having police officers along the route to ensure the march was orderly.

Nevertheless, Siu said the police are always collecting evidence and can take action against unlawful groups at anytime.

Chan, Sham and Lee (far right) are all in jail now

He added even though well-known figures from CHRF are already behind bars, like Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit and Figo Chan Ho-wun, the police can still investigate other key members and charge them.

The police are using the national security law to pressure groups to disband even though they may have not done anything legally wrong up to July 1, 2020. 

But in the hopes of avoiding the force from possibly arresting members and freezing bank accounts like what happened to Apple Daily, groups like the Professional Teachers' Union and now the CHRF hope they can try to wind things up quickly and not get in trouble with the law.

Except it seems that once they are targeted, that's the beginning of the end, no matter how they try to continue to exist -- they can't.

HKJA may be the next police target

While the PTU will disband soon, the group still has to sell off its various properties and ensure some 200 staff are paid in full. Having to sell quickly means the union will not necessarily get good prices for the properties, but it has no choice but to dissolve as quickly as possible.

It's a difficult situation for those affected and those who think they may be next.

The next target? Possibly the Hong Kong Journalists' Association, which a pro-establishment newspaper has described as protecting violence and spreading rumours...