Society

Sustainability promotion faces challenges in Hong Kong's catering industry as small restaurants lack resources to implement it, said industry leaders in a panel discussion last Thursday. Scholars and representatives from the sector in Hong Kong discussed the importance of the circular economy, a model that recycles and reuses materials or energy to tackle global environmental challenges such as climate change, waste and pollution, to Hong Kong’s food and beverage industry. The food and beverage industry is one of the most wasteful industries in the city, regarding the amount of food waste and single-use plastic containers hander out every day. Kitchen waste accounts for 30% of Hong Kong's municipal solid waste, while plastic waste accounts for 21%, according to the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department.  And about 10% of plastic waste was plastic cutlery in 2019. In the plastic waste disposed of locally every day, 200 tonnes are plastic cutlery made of styrofoam and other plastics.  “Hong Kong's traditional linear food system results in many recyclable resources being discharged or incinerated as waste. This pattern causes not only economic loss but also significant harm to the environment and public health,” said Dr. Winne Law in the panel. She is the deputy director and principal lecturer at the Centre for Civil Society and Governance of the University of Hong Kong and has been teaching courses on sustainable development and environmental management. However, panellists also admitted the difficulties, especially the high cost of achieving sustainability for small businesses. "Many restaurants can't afford to pay the HK$ 7,000 per month for food waste disposal," said Nandine Maurellet, General manager of Business Diversification and Group General Counsel for The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited. Food waste disposal can help develop circular economy in the F&B sector, by generating biogas for heating and cooking made from …

Chow Suk-chen, 90, whose daughter has moved to Canada for more than a decade, used to be caught between the frustration of her daughter’s departure and the desire to be a sympathetic mother.  “You can’t make them stay with you just because you’re scared to be lonely. The kids will eventually leave you behind when it’s time to go,” she said. An old Chinese saying is that while his parents are alive, the son may not go abroad for a distance. For thousands of years, this phrase, which emphasizes the responsibility of children to accompany their parents, has been enshrined as a guideline for the Chinese regarding old-age issues.   However, as the number of residents leaving Hong Kong continues to rise for three years, more and more elderly people are being left behind in this city and need help from charities to face their old age. The Census and Statistics Department (CSD) found in mid-August that 113,200 Hong Kong residents had left the city during the past 12 months, representing the highest since records began in 1997. The number of Hong Kong residents aged between 24 and 59 has declined over the past year, with the largest drop in the population aged 20 to 24, at 36,000. People who have left the city are predominantly younger, according to the data from CSD.  Only 13.2% of the respondents have immigrated with their parents, whose average age reaches 70 years old, while most of the immigrants choose to leave their elderly parents behind in Hong Kong, according to an online survey from UKHK, a project run by a British non-governmental organization called Welcome Churches to help people migrating to the UK from Hong Kong.  For elderly residents whose families are overseas, the need for assistance to overcome the emotional problems caused by …

At night after the ferry had stopped honking, Yasen Wong Yan-shun went busking with his bandmates outside the Star Ferry Pier, flooding the spot with music. But only three passers-by slowed down their steps and gathered around to listen to their performance. “We used to have around 20 audiences listening to our busking. During the pandemic, only three audiences were willing to stay and listen to us,” Wong said.  Wong saw Hong Kong was no longer with a favourable atmosphere for where the musicians could thrive, prompting him to explore the idea of immigrating to Taiwan. More than one-third of the local musicians have left or intended to leave Hong Kong due to COVID restrictions while 55% have suffered from anxiety or depression during the pandemic, according to a survey conducted by Musicians Foundation. The city’s social-distancing curbs, Prevention and Control of Diseases Regulation have outlawed all gatherings in four since the beginning of 2020 until Sept.13, 2022, fewer audiences gathered at the pier to enjoy Wong’s gigs which have demotivated him. Being a street artist, Wong has fallen into the financial struggle. “Although I’ve never expected I will earn a living as a musician, we have never made money from busking, not even once,”  Wong said.  Wong has worked at a part-time job in parallel to his higher diploma studies to cover the costs of purchasing music equipment as well as the spending in maintenance of instruments.  “I love Hong Kong with no doubt, I have made a lot of memories here. Unfortunately, Hong Kong is no longer a place where I can spread my music. As a musician, I should go outside and look for a brighter future,” Wong said. Edmond Tsang Yik-man, a lecturer from Hong Kong Baptist University’s Department of music, said that the lack of …