The Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) has launched a campaign with a string of different activities to reduce the use of plastic, such as less consumption of plastic bottles and other disposable plastic products.
The bureau said in a statement on Friday that it was launching a series of activities to reduce the use of plastics.
The anti-plastic campaign started on Saturday.
The statement pointed out that water dispensers are being installed in various government entities that are open to the public, adding that 13 have already been installed in the first phase of the campaign.
The bureau had set up water dispensers during the recent 18th Macau Food Festival in front of Macau Tower and, according to the DSPA statement, it showed that the number of plastic bottles that remained unused during the festival reached around 4,500 so that the setting-up of the water dispensers during the festival “achieved remarkable results”.
The statement said that the campaign of reducing the use of plastic includes, among other things, the setting-up of water dispensers in government entities open to the public; the introduction of three guidelines for the setting-up and usage of water dispensers; and government entities will be the first to install water dispensers before promoting their installation on private business premises.
This month the bureau plans to liaise with civil society, take-away platforms and other vendors to launch the “Life Without Plastic is Easy” campaign.
In the first half of next year, the public are encouraged to limit their consumption of single-use plastic or disposable plastics in restaurants and supermarkets. Single use plastics are commonly plastic packaging and items intended to be used only once before they are thrown away or recycled. These include, among other items, carrier bags, food packaging, bottles, straws, containers, cups, and cutlery. The bureau also wants to enhance the promotion through various platforms, including the promotion of the use of more environmentally-friendly materials for take-away lunch boxes, according to the statement.
According to The Macau Post Daily there will be a six-month campaign to urge the public to refrain from using single-use plastic tableware.
During the campaign, if a resident tells an eatery that they do not want single-use tableware for their takeaway order, they will then be given a stamp for each time they order such a meal from an eatery participating in the take-away platform. After they have collected 10 stamps, they can get a set of eco-friendly tableware.
The campaign will be based on an online platform for ordering takeaway meals which comprises 1,300 local eateries, but so far only 100 have said that they will participate.
For more information about the location of the water dispensers and the various campaign activities, visit the DSPA website www.dspa.gov.mo
