FamilyMart recently announced that it will start charging customers for plastic cutlery, such as spoons, forks, and straws, which is 4 to 6 yen for each of the listed items. This makes it the first major convenience store to do so.
The first phase of the initiative will cover roughly 100 stores, which will gradually expand to a total of approximately 16,000 stores nationwide. Reaching this number would help reduce roughly 715 tons of plastic waste, as predicted by the chain
Similar efforts in reducing plastic use have been made by other convenience store chains. More specifically, spoons and forks at 7-Eleven are made from plastic containing 30% plant-derived materials, and cutleries at Lawson have holes in the handles. It is, however, a first for a convenience store chain to apply a fee on these items.
Source: NHK
