Presentation short abstract

This paper explores the imagined anxiety and populist narratives surrounding the less plastic policies and a projected future of less waste in Hong Kong, East Asia.

Presentation long abstract

This paper explores the populist imaginaries and narratives surrounding non-plastic containers, new disposal habits and a projected future of less plastic waste in Hong Kong, East Asia. Looking into social media forums, green organization websites and corporate campaigns that collectively respond to the government policies, this paper explores the imagined anxiety, ecological anticipations and green practice predictions. Ultimately it examines how global narratives of climate change and national emission reduction adapt to new waste policies and yet clash with everyday cultural habits.

The government in Hong Kong, China was pushing a policy that would ban the sale and provision of many disposable plastic products for dine-in services in 2024. At the same time, it was launching a waste charging scheme that required households and corporates to purchase designated garbage bags to motivate recycling and reduce the overall amount of municipal solid waste. Both of which were subsequently deferred due to enormous controversies surrounding potential difficulties involved in implementation. Some of these controversies include netizens uploading video images on the failures of paper straws and bio-cutleries online, corporates expressing higher cost concerns, and green organizations calling for more reuse than a material replacement of disposable plastic products.