Most Hongkongers support bringing your own box for takeaway food
Most people cite environmental factors as the biggest reason for supporting the idea
Some people say bringing your own box for takeaways is not convenient. Around 90 per cent of Hongkongers support bringing their own lunchboxes to hold takeaway food, according to a new survey released on Sunday. Forty per cent of those surveyed, however, said they would not change their current habits.
The survey, which was conducted by non-profit organisation JCI Ocean, surveyed 580 Hongkongers and 60 restaurants in the city. It found that while 90 per cent of those surveyed support bringing your own box to buy takeouts, many said they wouldn’t do it.
People cited environmental factors as the biggest reason for supporting the idea; bringing boxes would be better than relying on the styrofoam containers provided by restaurants.
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Yap Ying-ye, 15, from Singapore International School, agrees. “I think it’s a great idea because less plastic would be used, so there’s less rubbish being put into Hong Kong’s landfills, which are already very full,” she said. “It’s also better for the environment in general because less non-biodegradable rubbish is being thrown away.”
Of the 580 people surveyed, 248 said they would not bring their own boxes to buy takeaway. The majority of that number said they did not know whether they would buy takeaway on any particular day, so it would be hard to know when to bring the box. More than 50 per cent of the 248 people said it wasn’t convenient, while 33 per cent did not believe restaurants would be able to support customers bringing their own lunchboxes.
The 60 restaurants surveyed agreed, saying it would be hard to change the way they operate, especially if there is no guarantee all customers will bring their own boxes. Most say they are afraid of being seen as unwelcoming or as providing an incomplete service.
Edited by MJ Premaratne