THE Penang Island City Council (MBPP) is stepping up efforts in its campaign to ‘Say No To Plastic Straws and Single-Use Plastics’.
MBPP mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang said public awareness of the campaign would be continued until the end of this year.
So far, he said operators of 1,311 licensed food premises from November 2018 to March 2019 had been approached to educate them on the campaign.
“MBPP will monitor the progress of the implementation and also come out with guidelines on how to reduce the use of plastic straws and single use plastics,” Yew said at the ‘Say No To Plastic Straws and Single-Use Plastics’ campaign at Queen Hall, Queensbay Mall Penang on April 14.
“MBPP is now providing exposure and educating the operators of restaurant and eateries on the importance of supporting this initiative.”
Also present were Queensbay Mall assistant centre manager Lee Sue Ling, its marketing communications manager Patricia Chin, MBPP’s director of licensing, Azman Sirun and councillor Latifah Hussainsa.
Yew later handed out campaign posters to various stalls and outlets, including KFC.
When MBPP launched the state-level Plogclean Programme at Karpal Singh Drive on June 25 last year, Yew said volunteers collected quite a number of waste materials such as plastic straws, single-use plastics like beverage cups, lids and water bottles.
He said this led to MBPP mooting the idea of campaigning against the use of plastic straws and single use plastics to reduce pollution.
Following a quick response from Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow to ‘Just Do It’, MBPP has stopped providing mineral water cups and straws at its meetings.
Story and pix by Danny Ooi