SINGAPORE: Diners at hawker centres, coffee shops and food courts who fail to return used trays and crockery will face stronger enforcement actions from Jun 1, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Tuesday (Apr 18).
Currently, enforcement officers from NEA and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) will advise diners who do not clear their tables to do so. Those who do not comply and are first-time offenders will be issued written warnings. Second-time offenders will face a composition fine of S$300 (US$225), while subsequent offenders may face court fines.
The rules have been in place since Sep 1, 2021 for hawker centres and Jan 1, 2022 for coffee shops and food courts.
On Tuesday, NEA said that from Jun 1, offending diners across these public eating places will be asked for their particulars. First-time offenders will be issued a warning right away, instead of an advisory, while subsequent offenders will continue to be issued fines or charged in court.
NEA and SFA are stepping up enforcement “to reinforce good habits and deter the minority of diners who repeatedly fail to return their used trays and crockery”.
It “aims to ensure that the good efforts of the majority (over 90 per cent) of diners who return their used trays and crockery are not marred by the inconsiderate behaviour of the minority”, NEA added.
The agencies said they would continue with a “pragmatic” approach and avoid enforcement actions against “the less-abled, frail elderly and children, who are clearly unable to clear their tables”.