It is an unreasonable practice for Japanese supermarkets to place sushi inside paper boxes which block customers’ view, said environment minister Tse Chin-wan, who noted that shops need not switch containers on purpose since many citizens usually buy take-out.
Tse’s remarks came on a radio program on Tuesday after citizens noticed and complained that some Japanese supermarkets are now placing sushi inside paper containers that are not transparent, making it difficult for them to decide the freshness of the dishes.
Tse agreed that picking a favorable sushi dish will become a hard decision if paper boxes are used and added that many customers usually buy sushi for take-out. Therefore, supermarkets need not to switch to paper boxes on purpose.
Yet, Tse stressed no plastic containers should be used if customers are dining inside the shop.
He added that almost all large-scale retailers and restaurant chains have switched to non-plastic utensils with small shops following in their footstep gradually and finding suitable replacements.
Some merchants reflected that 60 to 70 percent of customers bought take-out without utensils, indicating that citizens are raising their “no plastic” awareness, he said.
Tse stressed that the government is not looking to punish citizens by introducing the ban on single-use plastic items, but is pushing to raise citizens’ awareness on waste reduction through levying the plastic items and boosting the recycling sector.
With less than a week before the end of the pilot program of the waste charging scheme, the environment chief clarified that the production of the designated rubbish bags is only put on halt temporarily and has not ended.
He explained that the storage facilities for the rubbish bags are all full and it will involve extra costs for manufacturers to look for new storage points.
With the waste charging scheme postponed to August, the Environmental Protection Department therefore suggested manufacturers temporarily suspend the production.
Hong Kong United Times丨香港聯合時報丨HKUT 