Since last month, customers of fast-food eatery 4Fingers Crispy Chicken have been reminded to ditch plastic straws.
The local chain is one of 27 eateries, including Wheeler’s Yard and Brawn & Brains Coffee, trying to cut down on the use of disposable straws to reduce plastic waste this year in 2018.
Others have gone further. Vegan fast-food joint VeganBurg switched to biodegradable straws, while the Stamping Ground Coffee introduced a “No Plastic Straws” policy at its cafe on Wednesdays.
All this is thanks to 17-year-old Ang Zyn Yee, who is on a mission to minimise the use of plastic straws here. The spirited Hwa Chong Institution student is the founder of the Straw-Free Singapore movement, which aims to encourage individuals and businesses to give up single-use, disposable plastic straws.
Many young people are becoming increasingly eco-conscious, with several taking the lead in starting their own green initiatives.
“Today’s youth are more aware about environment issues such as climate change and protecting the environment than those five to 10 years ago,” said Mr Low Chip Khoon, vice-president of Earth Society.
Zyn Yee’s green quest began in early March 2018. She started a petition to get Changi Airport, which sees high human traffic, to go straw-free, gaining over 14,000 signatures.
She then approached various cafes and restaurants through e-mail, Facebook messages and even mail, to convince them to do away with plastic straws.
She also came up with Wipe Out Waste, a zero-waste programme for primary schools which includes an assembly talk, an exhibition and plans to cut down waste.
Mr Low cites awareness of climate change, education and changing weather patterns in Singapore as factors contributing to youth activism.
Kathlene Yeo, 16, also a student at Hwa Chong Institution, is one such young advocate. The vegan set up a WhatsApp group for like-minded peers to discuss environmental issues, share tips and to encourage school stalls to offer more vegetarian options.
Many also turn to social media as a tool to further their causes.
Zyn Yee, for example, set up Instagram account @strawfreesingapore, which invites users to post photos of themselves holding strawless mugs with the hashtag #iskipstraws. Her initiative spawned similar school-based accounts, such as @strawfreestnicks by secondary school students at CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School.
Many say their passion to save the environment will not be a passing fad.
Said Kathlene: “It’s not really a ‘jump on the bandwagon’ kind of thing. It’s more of peer influence igniting a sense of social responsibility in everyone.”
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Source: The Straits Times, 30 May 2018