Say no to single-use food and beverages.

In just a few days, the Shanghai Municipal Regulations on Domestic Waste Management will officially come into effect. According to the regulations, the Municipal Market Supervision Administration has made it clear that, starting next month, food service providers and food delivery services will no longer be permitted to proactively provide consumers with disposable chopsticks, spoons, knives, and forks. So how are citizens and businesses responding to this new regulation? And why are these four small measures considered the first step in reducing the use of plastic tableware?

At lunchtime, many white-collar workers gather at the fast-food counter in convenience stores. A New York Times reporter bought a boxed meal, but the clerk did not offer chopsticks on his own. However, upon the reporter’s request, the clerk promptly retrieved a pair from under the counter.

“If you buy a boxed meal, we’ll give you one. But first you have to ask us for a pair of chopsticks—only then will we serve it to you. We have surveillance cameras; if the supervisors catch us, they’ll be fined.”

At Starbucks, the self-service area no longer provides utensils, and straws have been switched from plastic to paper—customers must ask staff for them. Staff also noted that after July 1, salad utensils will become even more eco-friendly: “After July 1, forks will no longer be provided.”

In accordance with the Shanghai Municipal Regulations on Domestic Waste Management, the Municipal Administration for Market Regulation has issued a catalog that explicitly stipulates that, starting next month, food service providers and food delivery services shall no longer proactively provide consumers with disposable chopsticks, spoons, or knives and forks. Violators will be ordered by the market regulatory authorities to make corrections within a specified time frame and may even be subject to fines. Many residents have expressed understanding and support for this measure.

“I haven’t even used all the chopsticks in my dorm room yet, so there’s a lot of waste,” said one resident. “In the past, even if you ordered food without utensils, they’d still bring them over—out of concern that customers might be dissatisfied or demand compensation—so that was actually a good practice.” However, many people feel it’s not very convenient. “What if I buy a boxed meal at FamilyMart? Do I have to bring my own pair of chopsticks? That’s definitely inconvenient. I can’t just eat it right away after buying it; I have to go through the hassle of preparing utensils and all that. It’s really annoying.” Many businesses say that unless they explicitly state that utensils aren’t needed, they’ll proactively provide them to avoid future customer complaints.

“Put out as many pairs of chopsticks as he asks for,” the merchant said. “Eventually, though, the customer will have to eat without any chopsticks or spoons. I think that’s a bit unreasonable.”

When you open a food-delivery app, you’ll see that consumers can choose the number of utensil servings when placing an order—but this is not a mandatory option. Even if no selection is made, restaurants typically default to allocating utensils based on the number of diners.

The businessman told the reporter: “Even if you don’t check the box, we’ll still send you a set of tableware.” “By default, we’ll include a meal bag containing chopsticks, a spoon, and a napkin.”

Some residents have pointed out that the number of single-use food containers generated by takeout and packaged foods far exceeds that of these four small items—so why is only the “four small items” being explicitly restricted this time? In response, experts explain that the “four small items” are relatively easy to replace and more readily accepted by the public, making them an appropriate starting point for initial source-based waste reduction efforts.

Zhang Yong, Director of the Center for Circular Economy Research at Tongji University, said: “We should start with the easy tasks and gradually move on to the more challenging ones. Implementing the ‘Four Small Actions’ is relatively straightforward. If you regularly bring your own chopsticks and spoon, the likelihood of doing so is fairly high. Bringing your own bowl or a larger container, however, is more difficult.”

Some manufacturers of disposable tableware say they currently offer eco-friendly alternatives, but the market has not yet embraced them quickly. “Sales are still sluggish because, for instance, a single cornstarch chopstick costs more than 10 cents, and a cornstarch spoon is also about 10 cents more expensive. Together, they add up to a significant price premium.” Several food-delivery platforms have also stated that they are actively upgrading their systems and will introduce a “no-tableware recommendation” feature. Once a user places an order, the platform will, by default, no longer include utensils. The user will then see a pop-up prompt asking whether they need utensils and must manually confirm the quantity. At the same time, reward-and-penalty mechanisms will be put in place for merchants whose customers opt out of utensils.

“For restaurants and stores that fully meet customers’ requests to forgo utensils, we will provide traffic support and employ proactive business initiatives to shift their attitudes toward tableware, thereby better advancing green development,” said Song Zhe, Meituan-Dianping’s Chief Food Safety Officer.

Experts point out that reducing the “four small items” in catering and the “six small items” in hotels essentially involves gradually changing the public’s existing consumption patterns and lifestyle habits, thereby creating favorable conditions for comprehensively promoting source reduction of all types of household waste in the future.

A professor from the College of Environmental Science and Engineering at Tongji University stated: “This process itself is one of mutual education. The public has begun to understand that we need to improve our consumption habits as much as possible in order to reduce resource extraction and minimize waste. As we gradually develop sound consumption practices, we will then move on to managing food-service packaging.”

Some worry that, in the most extreme scenario, even if businesses do not proactively provide single-use tableware, consumers’ demand for it could still undermine any genuine efforts to reduce waste. Experts point out, however, that cultivating public consumption habits and environmental awareness is a gradual process. The harder it is to obtain single-use tableware, the greater the opportunity for widespread adoption of recyclable, eco-friendly alternatives. Reducing waste at the source is a long-term battle that has a long way to go.