The restriction on the use of disposable tableware in the food and hotel industries will be imposed by the Beijing authorities on May 1, the CNA portal reports April 30.

Starting on Friday, restaurants, delivery services and hotels in Beijing should not provide such disposable goods unless customers ask them to.

The Beijing restrictions follow the government plan announced in January, which aims to reduce the waste of disposable plastic utensils used by the food industry in major cities in China by 30 percent over five years. Those who repeatedly violate the new rules in Beijing can be fined between 10,000 and 50,000 yuan (between 1,400 and 7,000 US dollars).

The National Bureau of Statistics reported that in 2018, about 228 million tons of garbage was produced in China. According to the official Xinhua News Agency, in Beijing alone last year, household waste amounted to about 10 million tons. In the capital, where 21 million people live, from Friday will also be compulsory waste sorting for both residential buildings and commercial operations.

Other major Chinese cities, including Shanghai Financial Center, have already implemented waste sorting policies.

In an effort to reduce waste, the Chinese government also announced in January that the production and sale of disposable polystyrene and plastic utensils would be banned by the end of the year.