GEORGE TOWN: Diners, clear your own table.
That is the message being sent out by the city council in its bid to reduce the reliance on foreign workers at eateries and hawker centres.
For a start, customers at the Tanjung Bungah food complex are being asked to return their used plates and utensils, separate their food waste and dispose of their rubbish themselves.
The initiative by the Penang Island City Council (MBPP), which was introduced on Wednesday, would be evaluated after a month.
Food seller Y. Sarespadi, 78, who has been trading at the complex for 30 years, was receptive to the move.
She acknowledged that some diners are already in the habit of returning their plates after finishing their meal.
“I am grateful for that. And if more people do their part, it will make our work easier and allow us to serve others better,” she said when met at the complex during the launch of the initiative.
Noodle seller Ang Chin Hock, 65, said that on top of cleaning up after customers they also have to deal with disposing discarded food wrappers and tissue paper.
“Some people use a lot of tissue paper and leave it behind,” Ang said, describing the problem as a “headache” they have to bear.
And on windy days, rubbish would be scattered around the complex, sometimes carrying leftover food onto the ground, he added.
All of this, Ang said, the hawkers have to clean up.
“I hope this system makes customers realise that keeping the place clean is everyone’s responsibility.”
Under the new system, all 56 stalls at the complex beside the Tanjung Bungah market have been provided with bins for diners to separate their waste.
Red bins are for food waste, blue bins for plates, bowls and utensils while three large green bins at the front of the market are for general rubbish.
MBPP councillor Lee Seng Hwai said this move could eventually reduce the need for foreign workers, who handle cleaning tasks, if this “tray return” system caught on at other food complexes.
He said the initiative followed complaints about diners leaving dirty plates and utensils scattered around after their meals.
“The system would ease the workload of traders, who often have to clear the tables themselves. We hope this simple initiative will be effective without being costly, as the 112 pails and three large bins cost only RM1,700.”
If it turns out to be a success, he said the city council hopes that it could be adopted at other food complexes and “eventually, even reducing the need for foreign workers to handle such tasks.”
MBPP mayor Datuk A. Rajendran said the council would assess the system’s effectiveness within a month before deciding whether to introduce it at other food complexes.
He said diners would not be penalised for failing to comply as the council wants to encourage cooperation through civic responsibility.
“The collected food waste will be processed into compost.
“About 47% of municipal solid waste is food waste. We need to reduce the amount we produce and work towards reusing and recycling what we can,” he said.
Tanjung Bungah assemblyman Zairil Khir Johari said getting diners to clear their tables would help others find seats quickly during busy periods.
“It is about making better use of the facilities available and improving our civic consciousness,” he said.
