INFO · Search
· Chinese version · Subscribe

Health & Environment

Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival stops plastic cups following single-use plastic ban

The Wine and Dine Festival last weekend stopped serving plastic cups following the government's plastic ban and encouraged guests to bring their own glasses or buy them on-site, as visitors increased by 10% from last year.

The Wine and Dine festival lasts from Oct23 to Oct 27.

The move aligned with the city’s' plastic-free initiatives, said Raymond Chan Chun-man, the Hong Kong Tourism Board's general manager of event and product development,

“We encourage people to bring their own wine glasses. Instead, each visitor will receive a souvenir glass sleeve," he said.

Wine glasses were also sold for $50.

Participating restaurants and bars were allowed to pass out their own cutlery and cups to customers.

“While we do recommend them to use the cups we provided, it is not within our purview to decide how they use them,” said Wong, a staff worker at the event who asked not to disclose his full name.

Last year, plastic cups were sold at the festival for HK$5 each.

The five-day festival at the Central Harbourfront expanded its opening hours until 11pm for the first time, with more than 300 participating booths offering thousands of global wines and cuisine, attracting about 155,000 visitors.

Some visitors said the use of wine glasses enhanced their tasting experience, in terms of flavour and convenience.

“Paper cups produce more bubbles in the middle of the drink and indirectly distort the flavour of the wine, whereas glasses do not,” said Kelvin Lee, a clerk at a non-profit organisation that supports children’s mental health.

Kelvin Lee (far left) and Jo Man (far right) gather with colleagues at the festival after work.

“If you finish a drink from one store and you want to go to the next one, the booth holder just needs to help you to swish the glass with water and then you can continue to use it,” said Jo Man, the CEO of the same NGO.

“After guests have finished their wine, we clean their glasses for free so they can go on to the next stop,” said Chan, an employee of a wine merchant who declined to give his full name. “For customers who don't have a wine glass or need a second shot, we provide them with commercial stainless steel cups, which are also non-disposable.”

Plastic cups can still be seen in the beer stall area.

“There isn’t any plastic provided by organisers in the infield,” said Wong. He said that the only utensils provided by the event organisers are glasses with the festival logo on them.

Plastic cups are emblazoned with the iconic trousers of Young Master's Beer, a local craft beer brand.

Plastic straws are listed as prohibited disposable plastic tableware under the ban on single-use plastics policy that ended its six month adaptation period on Oct.21 this year.   But plastic take-away cups are still currently allowed.

 

《The Young Reporter》

The Young Reporter (TYR) started as a newspaper in 1969. Today, it is published across multiple media platforms and updated constantly to bring the latest news and analyses to its readers.

Comments

Gen Z entrepreneurs give new life to waste fabric

Gen Z preserves Hong Kong’s nostalgia