4,500 diners reminded to return trays as dining in resumes at food centres
SINGAPORE - Thousands of diners were reminded to return their trays on Monday (June 21) when dining in was allowed to resume. Most diners at two hawker centres were also seen doing so on their own. Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor said officers of the National Environment Agency (NEA) had advised 4,500 diners to return their trays on Monday. When The Straits Times (ST) visited North Bridge Road Market and Food Centre at about 9.45am on Tuesday, more than 10 people were seen returning their trays and used cutlery. It is mandatory for diners to return their trays and clear their table of litter from June 1, but no enforcement action will be taken until Aug 31, as part of an effort to help diners adjust, the NEA had said on May 14. But dining out was not allowed until Monday, after Singapore introduced phase two (heightened alert) measures on May 16. The Covid-19 pandemic has underscored the need to maintain high public hygiene and cleanliness standards. Despite years of extensive educational efforts to change the behaviour and mindsets of diners in public places, some diners were still seen not returning their trays when ST visited two hawker c...
Not true clearing own tables will deprive cleaners of jobs: Amy Khor
SINGAPORE - A national survey on public hygiene has found that some 47 per cent of Singaporeans think that clearing their own tables after eating at public places can deprive cleaners of their jobs. But this is not true, said Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor on Saturday (Feb 6). She said: "There will still be cleaners needed to maintain and upkeep the general cleanliness and hygiene of the food centre... they will still have to wipe down and disinfect the tables. "In fact, (diners returning their own trays) will help the cleaners, in terms of improving the welfare of the working environment." She was speaking to reporters on Saturday after a visit to Yuhua Village Hawker Centre and Broadway Coffeeshop in Jurong East, to launch a national campaign to encourage people to clean up after eating in public food places. The survey of 1,402 people conducted by the National Environment Agency (NEA) late last year had also found that 90 per cent of respondents felt that people should be required to do so. And 76 per cent said they do return their trays and used crockery most of the time in such places. However, the average tray return rate at most hawk...