Macau (MNA) – MGM Macau will go plastic free in the first quarter of next year by abandoning any single-use plastics, the gaming operator announced Thursday.
The gaming operator indicated it will to replace single-use plastics with environmentally friendly alternatives at all its restaurants.
Plastic straws, drink ware, take-out containers, cutlery and other plastic containers are to no longer be used in MGM properties.
The new initiative would remove more than 860,000 plastic straws and more than 470,000 plastic take-out containers a year from the environment, MGM estimated.
Meanwhile, a group of local residents, which had recently submitted a petition with 4,700 signatures to the government asking to ban disposable plastic use earlier this month, has released another notice today to express their disappointment over the government’s indifference towards the petition.
The group had previously requested the government to hold a press conference before September 13 to inform the public about the policy of banning plastic use.
‘We have not heard anything and we feel very disappointed in the attitude of the government regarding to the petition,’ the group stated in the notice.
‘We understand it is not appropriate to have the answer right now during the typhoon season, but we expect the government to answer to us right after they received the petition and should be no excuse to leave over 5,180 people without an explanation.’
Director of the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) Raymond Tam Wai Man, had indicated earlier on a sideline of an event that the bill of levying tax for using plastic bags has reached its final evaluation stage.
He added that the fee for asking plastic bags would range between MOP0.5 or MOP1 (US$0.12) per plastic bag.
