Retailers’ move to reduce waste hailed

Garbage sorting bins are seen at a local Heytea shop. DT News

The city’s first Waste Reduction Day was celebrated yesterday. A group of reporters visited several food retailers at the InJoy shopping center in Shangmeilin in Futian District yesterday to observe their efforts on waste reduction.

Staff with the Starbucks at the shopping center told the reporter that they have been providing a 4-yuan discount (US$0.6) for customers who carry their own cups, mugs or tumblers, after they entered the Chinese market 21 years ago.

In April last year, all Starbucks locations in Shenzhen were among other locations in other cities across the country to replace plastic straws with paper ones. The move can save around 200 tons of plastic each year in the country, according to Emily Gao, the manager of the Starbucks InJoy store.

Starbucks also gives out free coffee to customers who bring along their own tumblers on each year’s World Earth Day.

During the visit to the Starbucks shop, a resident surnamed Li said that she has used her own cup for two years.

Li said that she knew the city’s Waste Reduction Day from the posters put up all round the InJoy shopping center and believed it was a good way to promote the idea of environmental protection.

At the Heytea shop located at the InJoy shopping center, reporters found garbage bins of four different types placed beside the entrance of the store.

Staff with the Heytea shop said that they have set up a total of 596 garbage sorting bins at its 104 stores across the city. The shop also began to offer a 2-yuan discount for customers who bring along their own reusable drinkware in June last year.

As of June this year, the Heytea InJoy shop has saved more than 600 plastic cups, according to the staff.

Zhang Yuqing, the city’s garbage sorting promoter, hailed the two stores’ move to reduce waste by encouraging customers to order less food and use fewer tissues.

A bartering event was also held in Qingshuihe Subdistrict in Luohu yesterday to encourage people to reuse items rather than discard them.

The city’s regulation on garbage sorting implemented

Sept. 1 has designated each year’s Nov. 8 as the city’s Waste Reduction Day in a bid to further promote a low-carbon lifestyle.

Previously, the date Nov. 8 was established only as Empty Plate Day.

It is reported that the city has around 200,000 volunteers engaged in promoting environment protection-related works such as garbage sorting and waste reduction.