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South China Morning Post
31-03-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Greenpeace urge Hong Kong's Kai Tak Sports Park to improve sustainability
The three-day Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament generated about 860,000 disposable items after spectators were banned from bringing their own reusable containers, according to Greenpeace. Advertisement It left the green group, on Monday, once again urging Kai Tak Sports Park to reinstall a reusable cup system that had been in place for the annual tournament in 2019, 2023 and 2024 before it was scrapped this year, for its long-term sustainability development. The group said the operator should kick-start the system as soon as possible, with the newly open stadium expected to host at least 40 more large-scale events a year. 'Otherwise, the more mega-events the park hosts, the bigger the snowball will be. More and more disposable tableware would be produced [after each event], and that would fundamentally violate the park's goal in sustainability,' Greenpeace campaigner Leanne Tam Wing-lam said. Lam said the group learnt that the sport's governing body Hong Kong China Rugby tried to negotiate with the park to bring back the initiative this year, but to no avail. Advertisement Jamie Farndale, Hong Kong China Rugby's general manager of club development and sustainability told the Post on Monday that green cups 'could indeed become a viable option' for the park when it became more established and had gained insights into event frequency and cup reuse. 'However, given that this was the first event and Kai Tak's primary focus was on getting operations under way, we strongly encouraged them to utilise fully compostable packaging, ensuring that organic material was collected and processed correctly through their on-site composter,' Farndale said.
South China Morning Post
09-03-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Plastic bottled water served to VIPs at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Arena despite ban
A green group has found that plastic bottled water was provided to VIPs at the snooker World Grand Prix at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Arena despite rules prohibiting spectators from having bottles in the venue for safety reasons. Advertisement Greenpeace revealed the double standard in management on Sunday, renewing calls for a reusable cup system at the city's largest sports venue to strike a balance between security and environmental concerns. Leanne Tam Wing-lam, a campaigner with the organisation, said the inconsistent rules not only created unfairness but also generated unnecessary waste. 'The sports commissioner earlier said the ban on containers was based on safety considerations, but such considerations appeared to vary depending on the ticket prices,' she said. 'The safety concern has been negated when both plastic bottles and spectators' own cups were allowed in the venue, and such arrangement also generated unnecessary disposable waste.' Advertisement The HK$30 billion (US$3.84 billion) Kai Tak Sports Park, which comprises a 50,000-seat main stadium and two other smaller facilities, is a centrepiece of the government's efforts to become a mega-events hub.
South China Morning Post
16-02-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Study Buddy (Challenger): Greenpeace calls for reusable cup system at Kai Tak Sports Park
Content provided by British Council Read the following text, and answer questions 1-9 below: [1] Greenpeace is urging the Hong Kong government to introduce a reusable cup system at the new Kai Tak Sports Park after finding the main stadium alone could generate up to 1.2 million disposable items in its first year of operations. The green group said early this month that the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department should also strengthen its waste reduction guidelines for event organisers to help decrease the amount of single-use cups and containers used during mega-events. [2] 'The government should be the one to set a good example,' Greenpeace campaigner Leanne Tam Wing-lam said, suggesting Kai Tak Sports Park be the first to establish a 'well-designed borrow-and-return cup system'. Hong Kong should be a mega-events hub, not a city that generates waste for landfills, she said. [3] The HK$30 billion (US$3.84 billion) Kai Tak Sports Park – a 50,000-seat main stadium and two smaller facilities – is a centrepiece of the government's efforts to become a mega-events hub. Greenpeace raised concerns earlier when it learned spectators had been barred from bringing their own water bottles to a rugby match at the site, one of several trial events ahead of its official opening on March 1. [4] To estimate the amount of waste the new sports park's main stadium would generate, a Greenpeace team and volunteers attended the Chinese New Year Cup at Hong Kong Stadium on February 1. Future editions of the cup will be held at Kai Tak Sports Park from next year. [5] Five of the 16 on-site food stalls were selected at random, and the team counted the number of disposable cups, containers and utensils distributed in the 45 minutes before kick-off and the 30-minute halftime break. The team found more than 12,000 single-use items were distributed to spectators during the 75-minute period. Cups and lids accounted for 72 per cent of the total. [6] Using the data they collected in a match attended by 20,000 spectators, the team estimated the main stadium could generate more than 1.2 million disposable items during its first year in operation, assuming it holds 40 sporting events at 100 per cent capacity. That number would be reduced to 912,367 if the events were held at 75 per cent capacity and 608,245 at 50 per cent, Greenpeace said. [7] Pointing to findings that cups accounted for most of the waste, Tam said the government should set aside HK$10 million to implement a long-term reusable cup system at the new sports complex. She noted the site was an enclosed area with its own centralised waste management and recycling facilities and featured several public water fountains. [8] Tam said that Environmental Protection Department-issued waste guidelines for large-scale events could also be strengthened. The guidelines currently consist of suggestions on how event organisers can reduce waste but lack clear reduction targets or any reward and punishment mechanisms, Tam said. 'We think it should not be limited to guidelines. There should be some restrictions for mega-events,' she said. Source: South China Morning Post, February 3 Questions 1. What potential waste issue did Greenpeace identify in paragraph 1? 2. In paragraph 2, what does the phrase 'set a good example' suggest? 3. Find a word in paragraph 3 that refers to 'the most important feature'. 4. Based on your understanding of paragraph 3, why was Greenpeace concerned about the Kai Tak rugby match's water bottle policy? 5. In paragraph 5, what accounted for most of the single-use items? 6. Based on your understanding of paragraph 5, the team counted the number of items distributed in the 45 minutes before kick-off and the 30-minute halftime break because … A. they were the only times spectators were allowed to consume food and beverages in the stadium. B. these are the periods when most food and beverage sales are likely to occur at such events. C. these two time frames are the best choices for avoiding bias in the data collection. D. none of the above 7. According to paragraph 6, there is a … relationship between the number of spectators and the amount of disposable items used. A. inverse B. complex C. direct D. non-existent 8. What is the main weakness Tam identified in the current waste guidelines according to paragraph 8? 9. In which magazine section would you most likely see this article? A. sustainable initiatives B. ecology and ecosystems C. innovative green technology D. environmental health To estimate the amount of waste the new sports park's main stadium would generate, a Greenpeace team and volunteers attended the Chinese New Year Cup at Hong Kong Stadium on February 1. Photo: Greenpeace Answers 1. Kai Tak Sports Park's main stadium alone could generate up to 1.2 million disposable items in its first year of operations. 2. The government should take the lead and demonstrate effective waste reduction practices by establishing a borrow-and-return cup system. (accept all similar answers) 3. centrepiece 4. Banning spectators from bringing their own water bottles to the event would force them to buy drinks or bottles inside, which were only sold in single-use plastic containers, increasing waste and damaging the environment. 5. cups and lids 6. B 7. C 8. The current guidelines lack clear reduction targets and reward and punishment mechanisms. 9. A
