SIBU: Most of the eating outlets here have stopped giving out plastic straws when serving beverage to their customers, though the actual implementation date is Jan 1, 2020.
Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Councillor Clarence Ting, at the council meeting here yesterday, revealed he had received positive feedback from coffee shop operators on the council’s decision to ban the usage of plastic straw.
“I went to several coffee shops and they have stopped giving out plastic straws. Some even thanked the council for the instruction,” he added.
However, Ting wanted its Public Health and Municipal Services to come out with an alternative for plastic straws as the people might not be able to afford stainless steel straws.
“I was in Singapore recently and the stainless steel straw cost S$80 for six pieces.”
On his query about why the council under the previous administration had not banned plastic bottles, the Public Health and Municipal Services chairperson Councillor Rhoda Ting explained that they were following the federal government’s instruction that the ban on plastic straw would go into effect next January.
Separately on the council’s hotline services, Ting said he needed it to be revamped in order to improve the service. He reasoned that it was necessary as the services were inactive.
The council’s hotline number is 084-310808 while its WhatsApp is 019-8179297.
“Our hotline is inactive. I don’t know the reason but I will get to the bottom of it. It’s either there is nobody picking up the calls or the person manning it is not being helpful,” he said.
He added that he wanted the council to follow the model set by Sarawak Energy Berhad as their hotline operates 24 hours a day.
Ting also urged the councillors to engage more with the public and put in effort to look into the people’s complaints.
“If the public bring up issues involving government agencies like Public Works Department or TM (Telekom Malaysia), help them to call these agencies on the spot instead of asking them to do it on their own as the job of councillors is about providing community services,” he reiterated.
