HAWKER CENTRES AND FOOD COURTS

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HAWKER CENTRES AND FOOD COURTS:

(Clearing of used crockery): 16.

Mdm Ho Geok Choo asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources in view of PM's call in his National Day Rally speech for Singaporeans to be more considerate in clearing used crockery at food courts, what plans does NEA have to facilitate such considerate behaviour in hawker centres under its purview.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan) (for the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources): Sir, as we become a more mature society, it is indeed timely that this issue has been highlighted for attention recently.

The Member may be aware that NEA had introduced the "Tray Return System" at the Zion Riverside Food Centre on a trial basis back in 2003, where patrons

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were then reminded to return their trays with used crockery to the Tray Return Counter or racks provided. However, the trial was subsequently discontinued as it was found that most patrons would prefer to leave it to the cleaners to clear the tables.

I agree that we need to do more to promote this habit as part of the larger picture of sustaining the cleanliness in our hawker centres. The "Litter-free Hawker Centres" campaign launched two years ago was intended to promote ownership of the cleanliness in the hawker centres by everyone, including the patrons.

Moving forward, NEA is now exploring with the Singapore Kindness Movement and relevant stakeholders the feasibility of re-introducing the "Tray Return System" at some of our hawker centres. My Ministry would welcome fresh ideas that may help to promote the adoption of this good habit.

Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim (Marine Parade): Two supplementary questions, Sir. Can the Senior Parliamentary Secretary enlighten the House on how other countries are dealing with this challenge of inculcating consideration for others in their citizens at food centres? Secondly, in what way is the NEA making it conducive for diners at food centres to clear up or dispose their crockeries, especially when there is no provision for holding used crockeries?

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan: Sir, regarding the first question, to the best of my knowledge, for countries with food centres similar to our hawker centres such as Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong, there are no tray-return facilities provided at the food centres in these countries. Similar to Singapore, the cleaners or stallholders will clear the crockeries and clean the tables after their customers finish their meals. For western countries and Japan, patrons return their food trays

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after their meal to tray-return facilities at fast-food outlets and other eating establishments. Many of them practise this good habit out of consideration for others, with or without any conscious intervention by the authorities. It is generally their culture to do so. While the authorities can help to improve the design of the premises and put in place the necessary infrastructure to facilitate tray-return, it is ultimately the behaviour of the patrons that will determine whether a positive and reinforcing culture could be formed.

Regarding the second question, as I have noted in my reply earlier, NEA is now exploring with the Singapore Kindness Movement to look into the feasibility of re-introducing the tray-return system at some of our centres. Tray racks will be provided at these centres, if we decide to re-introduce this tray-return system at convenient and strategic locations to make it easy for the patrons to return the trays. In addition, we will be providing posters, signages and table-top decals to advise patrons to clear the tables and return the trays. In the initial phase, we would be putting officers to politely advise the patrons to return the trays after their meals.

Providing adequate facilities for holding these used crockeries is certainly important because we want to encourage the formation of such good habits, but due to space constraints and other physical limitations in some of our hawker centres, it may not be possible to provide facilities for holding crockeries in all our hawker centres. So, we will be implementing the system at selected hawker centres for a start. If we were to eventually introduce this in all our hawker centres, we will, as far as possible, be working around these limitations and revise the workflow of the table cleaners to create an environment that will make it easier for them to return the trays.

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I would also like to add that the Government can only do so much. Ultimately, this involves changing behaviour, changing mindset, it will take time. We will facilitate such good behaviour through providing the necessary infrastructure but we need Singaporeans to take ownership and to desire that they want to see a more gracious society and, therefore, lead by example.

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong: Sir, while we encourage a gracious behaviour on the part of Singaporeans, can I ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary whether she can assure us that it will not mean that our older workers are deprived of jobs as cleaners because many of them turn to these jobs for a living?

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan: When we re-introduce the tray-return system, cleaners will still be needed. In fact, when we first introduced this on a pilot basis at the Zion Riverside Food Centre, besides providing for the tray-return system and also the other necessary infrastructure, we also had the cleaners going around the hawker centres to ensure that the tables are actually cleared, because not all patrons participated in this initiative.