Not much has been done to target the problem of too much waste being generated from takeaway alone – has takeaway culture become too ingrained in Singaporean culture for people to be willing to acknowledge it as a problem?
Nevertheless, listed below are the methods that are currently being used to encourage Singaporeans to (a) reduce the number of times they take food away or (b) bring their own containers.
- Hawkers impose an additional charge for takeaway – this is often less than 50c. However, this is not enforced at every stall.
- Recently, there have been more movements encouraging Singaporeans to bring their own containers/straws/bags.
- Bring your own (BYO) Singapore was launched in support of NEA’s “Say Yes to Waste Less” campaign
- While primarily focusing on plastic bag usage, it also advocates bringing your own cutlery and containers.
Yet, these two methods do not appear to be impactful enough for Singaporeans to change their habits!