Will new hawker centres feature tray-return solutions?
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Published on Oct 23, 2012 - ST Forum
IT WAS disappointing that there was no mention of tray-return design in the new hawker centres ("3 towns to get new hawker centres"; Sunday).
We could be missing a great opportunity to start afresh with a fundamental change in hawker centre design that will be a model for others to follow.
Will there be centralised tray-return areas that provide abundant tray-return racks that are made inaccessible to cats and birds?
Will there be centralised washing areas so that hawkers need not wash cutlery and utensils next to uncooked food in the confined space that they have?
Jonathan Toh
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Must we clean the dishes too?
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Need to wipe the table bo?
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have to wipe tables?
Charlize will cry foul.
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Push for tray return to start at 9 food centres
By Tan Qiuyi | Posted: 03 November 2012 1251 hrsSINGAPORE: A renewed push to get patrons to clear their own trays will kick off with a first batch of nine hawker centres from this month.
The hawker centre at Block 726 Clementi West Street 2 will be the first to start the tray return initiative on 11 November.
The other food centres -- North Bridge Road Food Centre, Zion Riverside Food Centre, Tiong Bahru Market, Kallang Estate Food Centre, Block 137 Tampines Street 24, Block 628 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4, Block 16 Bedok South, and Block 254 Jurong East Street 24 -- will follow over the next three months.
Authorities said the move is an effort towards building a more gracious society in Singapore.
Dirty dishes left on the tables are a common sight at food centres all over the country.
But there is a possibility of change to come -- at least at nine hawker centres. These include popular ones in the city, as well as several others in the heartlands in the western, northern and eastern parts of the island.
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, made the announcement at the launch of the Clean and Green 2013 campaign on Saturday.
He said: "The objective is to make tray return a default, to make it something which we all do out of habit, and to ensure that peer pressure always exists to keep us all doing the right thing."
One way to make it work, said Dr Balakrishnan, is to have tray-return facilities at all food centres.
The National Environment Agency said food centres will be retrofitted with facilities designed to make it convenient for customers to deposit their trays -- for example, racks and trolleys that can take different tray sizes and stacked crockery.
There have been several tray-return campaigns in the past, but these have not really taken off.
Dr Balakrishnan said it is not just about having the right infrastructure to make tray return convenient and easy -- what is needed here is a mindset change.
"It's not just about being clean in a sterile sense of the word, but clean because it reflects us, our values, our consideration for each other, our responsibility and stewardship of the environment, of our homes and the environment outside our homes," he added.
"It will be ingrained as part and parcel of our habits, it's something we do in schools, it's something we do in national service, it's something we do in our hawker centres, it's something we do at home. This becomes part and parcel of our way of life -- that's really what we're trying to achieve."
Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said: "I echo minister Vivian Balakrishnan's call that Singapore needs to turn from a "cleaned city" into a "clean city".
He added that every individual here -- citizens, transient workers, even the tourists -- should play his or her part to exercise graciousness and consideration.
The tray-return campaign is expected to roll out to all 107 food centres in Singapore over the next two years.
- CNA/al -
Just because the frog from the well living in the ivory tower made noise about keeping, clearing trays, the PLP people getting in the action to please him. Next month onwards they will implement clearing of trays in some hawker centres.
Might as well let us also clean the utensils, plates....... wipe table then they can save money to hire cleaners.
In time to come cleaners will not be needed.
How much does the arrogant frog who kicks a fuss on clearing trays know about the daily living of people??? Really see himit no up lah. Bo lor yong, only know how to get in more money and please himitself.
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If kopitiam do the same, char will cry foul.
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I suggest the frog in the well who lives in ivory tower when dining in public keeps hisits own utensils/plates/bowls and wash them and wipe them dry as well.
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I agreed with SJS6638 that it is an idea thought out by some idiots that expects peasants to return the tray themselves as part of their cost cutting measures.
It is like the free newspapers on the bus idea a few years ago. (We know how long that stupid ideas last.)
Even before they try out the ideas, they already wasted money in setting up the stand for tray return.
This millionster need to wake up in stop wasting tax players money.
It is some arrogance that he EXPECT the people to do it.
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Get a grip, people. Will it kill you to pick up your tray, dishes and cutlery, and walk a few metres to the collection point? You pay so much more for your food at IKEA, yet you don't kick up a fuss when they make you do the same thing. Ang moh tua kee but you cannot give old aunty and uncle a break issit?
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What has the decency to keep the eating environment clean have to do with the perceived arrogance of the higher-ups?
I dont know who I should be ashamed to be associated with.
The MIW who nags at people to clean up after themselves.
Or the people who do not mind a dirty environment....to the point of talking to rot to spite others.
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dirty or guilty.
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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1235066/1/.html
Why do we need to act under peer pressure to return the tray ?
My issue is why do the millionsters have to force the habit out of the people ?
Dun they have more important issues to resolve than to waste time and money on petty issues ?
Is this the quality that we are paying millions for ?
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jiak ba bo sai pang, come up this type of rubbish idea.
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Originally posted by Kuali Baba:
Get a grip, people. Will it kill you to pick up your tray, dishes and cutlery, and walk a few metres to the collection point? You pay so much more for your food at IKEA, yet you don't kick up a fuss when they make you do the same thing. Ang moh tua kee but you cannot give old aunty and uncle a break issit?
in ikea, i don't care leh. -
Originally posted by Summer hill:
in ikea, i don't care leh.dirty Jiani.
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cray cray
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i do tt at fastfood chains, as much as i can
clearing my own tray
it's quite contagious, as i observed since quite some time ago while lazing at a f/f restoran one afternoon
when someone does it, the others will be inclined to do it also
just short of wiping the table sparkling clean
so i guess the ah ma ah gongs still got job to do
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and clearing our own trays does not make the food prices become cheaper.
so...........................................
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Seriously? These are the type of fucking lame discussions we have? What about the issues that matter you fucking PAP dogs! No offense to the dogs.
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i kena from the cleaners before for clearing up.. i was accused of "breaking their rice bowl"
i gather the bastard employers are always looking for excuses to dock their pay or fire them
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My Extreme Xenophobic view of the issue:
- People clear tray and disk after meal.
- Less cleaners needed and employed.
- Cheng Hu get cheaper quotation from cleaning company.
- Monthly maintenance fee collected from hawkers still the same. (Citing inflation as the reason or long time never increase which is the ultimate stupid reason)
- Employ inspectors to catch people for not returning tray and disk and impose a fine for them.
- W$n W$n situation and income opportunity for the cheng hu in charge.
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Now more elderly will have to sell tissues with less table clearing jobs.
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Kopitiam partners grassroots organisations to expand "tray return" programme
By Sharon See | Posted: 11 November 2012 2033 hrsSINGAPORE: The "tray return" programme is set to expand with the Jurong and Yuhua constituencies now partnering Kopitiam food court to encourage Singaporeans to return their trays.
The food court at JCube in Jurong East now has four tray collection points and it is the first such tie-up between a grassroots organisation and a food court operator.
Kopitiam said it has introduced tray return stations at several other food courts over the last six months but response has been "lukewarm".
It hopes this tie up with Jurong GRC and Yuhua SMC grassroots organisations will allow them to reach out to more people.
Kopitiam's corporate communications manager, Goh Wee Ling, said: "Tapping on the Jurong GRC's resources, we find that we are able to leverage on that to create more awareness of the tray return program. Publicity wise, grassroots are able to reach out to residents easier than us. They have an grassroots office in every location and could help us persist in that sense."
It hopes the visibility of the tray return stations and ease of use can encourage more customers to use them.
Goh said: "It's not so much about saving manpower, but more of working effectively, more effective resources. Given the size of this outlet and customer turnover being so high, it's nearly impossible to say 'okay, today we are going to do away with one cleaner', but it's more about tapping on what we have right now and to maximise the effectiveness and clean faster."
MP for Jurong GRC, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, said: "Let's try to do it by way of encouraging and by way of example. I think once a few people start, more will follow. Kopitiam is taking the initiative here and it intends to do so at its other outlets as well. I hope that can be sustained, so you don't need incentives for everything. So let's try our best. We're basically decent folks, Singaporeans, so I'm sure we can do much better."
- CNA/ck -
haiz..
char is going to be unemployed.