KUALA LUMPUR: The government should encourage restaurants, hotels, and hawkers to use recyclable food containers, says a government backbencher
"Items like these should be encouraged by the government and not just displayed for exhibition purposes to show to MPs," said Teresa Kok (PH-Seputeh), who brought recyclable paper food containers to the Dewan Rakyat.
"This is something I took from Parliament when a ministry gave us a briefing.
"All these are boxes made from paper and are recyclable,” she said.
Kok said this while debating the Supply Bill 2026 for the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister at the committee stage in Parliament on Wednesday (Nov 12).
She urged the government to encourage hawkers and restaurants to use food containers made from paper materials and reduce the use of plastic containers.
"I also suggest that the government provide subsidies to industries producing paper boxes, and that our local authorities implement policies requiring restaurants, hotels, and hawkers to use paper-based food containers," she said.
The Environment Department, she added, should play a coordinating role across government agencies to successfully implement this plastic reduction policy.
