GEORGE TOWN – Although Penang’s ban on plastic straws is already a year old, the state earlier this year announced tighter enforcement to curb their usage at all eateries by June.
Penang Green Council general manager Josephine Tan said the state government is implementing the “No Straw by Default Policy”.
“But I admit that this policy has caused certain businesses to be disgruntled on two fronts.
“One, there are those who do not want to accept the ban. Two, there are those who accept it, but are alarmed as to why the state government continues to be lenient in enforcing it.”
Tan told The Vibes that currently, the policy is on an educational enforcement period for the public until June.
“Both local councils (Penang Island City Council and Seberang Prai City Council) have issued a notice to relevant parties on the policy implementation.”
When asked about the practicality of having no straws due to dental health and availability of mobile straws, Tan said the state government wants to encourage the public to drink hot beverages as such drinks do not need the usage of straws, apart from being good for health.
“As for hygiene concerns, how do customers know if the straws provided by shops are clean? They don’t know how the straws are stored, and they might be contaminated too.”
However, Ada Biotech Sdn Bhd director Tan Yeow Chuan believes that the state has yet to be successful in banning plastic straws.
“The no-plastic-straw policy has been implemented since March 2019. They (the state government) have done a lot of things like putting up stickers, making announcements and highlighting it in the news.
“But when it comes to enforcement and spot checks, nothing much has been done.
“When I heard that plastic straws will be fully banned, I jumped at the opportunity to introduce our adaStraws, which are made from rice and tapioca, and is biodegradable and certified halal. Even the state supported the initiative. However, it looks like nothing is being done.”
He said the local councils are not keen to encourage cafes and coffee shops to use biodegradable straws because they are costly.
He then proposed a method where his company will provide adaStraws to such shops at no cost, but customers will have to pay 10 sen if they need a straw, or none will be given.
“I asked coffee shop owners if they intended to really go green and come up with an alternative to plastic straws. I have done a survey at several shops, and all are willing to go ahead with my idea.
“Unfortunately, during my last discussion, the councils told me that they want to ban the usage of straws completely, although their campaign says ‘no plastic straws’.”
He said after investing a lot of money to launch adaStraws, which is supposed to be in line with Penang’s green vision, it looks like the campaign is not going as planned, adding that the company has lost a lot of money.
He said straws need to be substituted, as sometimes people forget to bring their disposable straws, and there are those who cannot drink cold drinks directly from the cup as they have sensitive teeth.
“I am not asking the state government to promote my adaStraws. If other industry players are interested to work with the state government, so be it, we are working together to go green anyway.” – The Vibes, February 10, 2021
