Beijing has banned disposable tableware in restaurants in "actively providing" disposable tableware for customers starting May 1, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Management said on Monday.
The prohibited single-use tableware include chopsticks, spoons, knives and forks. Takeaway food platforms can't provide disposable tableware unless customers make it clear they need them. Hotels in the city aren't allowed to "actively provide" disposable materials ranging from toothbrushes to combs.
Also starting from May 1, supermarkets are forbidden from using ultra-thin plastic bags (less than 0.0025 millimeter thick) and they can't provide plastic bags to customers for free.
Beijing's movement is part of China's efforts to reduce disposable plastic wastes. For years, China has been promoting alternatives such as cloth bags, paper bags and degradable shopping bags in malls and supermarkets. Last year, a garbage separation and recycling program was launched in Shanghai.
