The Government of Macao announced on Monday the ban on the importation, starting January 1 of next year, of disposable plastic cutlery.
As of that date, only the importation of “knives, forks, spoons” made of “biodegradable plastic” will be authorized, indicated an order by the Chief Executive, Ho Iat Seng, published in the Official Gazette of the Chinese administrative region.
Earlier this year, a ban on the import of disposable, non-degradable plastic straws and disposable beverage “spoons” into Macau came into effect, a move that came after the implementation of control of disposable Styrofoam containers in 2021.
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In the 2021-2025 environmental protection plan, released last January, the region’s authorities indicated, without establishing specific goals, that the objective is to “promote and reinforce” the practice of reducing the use of plastic, along with ” regulatory measures for plastic”. disposable and non-biodegradable tableware.
On the other hand, the Government wants to “strengthen awareness about the ‘clean recycling’ of recyclable waste among citizens, in order to guarantee the availability of recyclable materials and their recoverable value”, it indicates in the same document.
Macau has one of the highest population densities in the world, with a population of around 680,000 and an area of 32.9 square kilometers.
Source: Observadora
