Posted on 08/30/2021 12:03:20 PM PDT by nickcarraway
(Singapore) Enforcement of the rule requiring diners to clear used crockery and table litter at coffee shops and food courts has been pushed back to January next year.
To help diners adjust, there will be another advisory period, of two months, before enforcement begins at these eateries.
However, enforcement of the table clearing rule begins at hawker centres as scheduled on Wednesday (Sept 1), after a three-month advisory period. It had been announced in May that enforcement at coffee shops and foodcourts would also be introduced progressively in the fourth quarter of this year.
During the coming advisory period, from Nov 1 to Dec 31, diners will be advised to clear their trays and litter, and no enforcement action will be taken, the National Environment Agency (NEA) and Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said in a joint statement on Monday.
Those who have been reminded of the rule but still refuse to follow it after enforcement begins will have their particulars taken down, and a written warning will be issued to them. Those who still don't follow the rule will face fines.
NEA and SFA said: "Enforcement will not be taken against those clearly unable to return their trays, such as the frail elderly or young children unable to purchase and carry their own food to the table."
Enforcement action at hawker centres has followed a similar approach. It was announced in May that it would be compulsory for diners to clear their tables and that the rule would be enforced after an advisory period.
Since then, the average tray and crockery return rate has improved to about 65 per cent, from about 30 per cent in February.
To complement existing tray and crockery return racks at hawker centres, trolleys will also be progressively introduced. They can be placed in areas with tight aisles in between existing tray return racks, to reduce walking distance.
There are also another 150 new permanent tray and crockery return racks in the pipeline, in addition to the 900 existing ones at hawker centres.
Coffee shops and foodcourts are now in the midst of installing tray return infrastructure.
Enforcement action will also apply to diners at steamboat and zi char outlets within hawker centres and coffee shops.
NEA said the law applies to all diners in such eateries.
"NEA will take a pragmatic approach in situations where the stall has dedicated service staff to serve food to the table and to clear the crockery and utensils during and after the meal. Where it is unclear if the tables are served by dedicated staff, diners will be reminded to clear their dirty crockery and litter after their meals," the statement added.
The cost of cleaning services is not likely to come down immediately as cleaners are still required to maintain cleanliness by wiping and sanitising tables, it said.
"By adopting a 'self-service concept' to clear up tables after meals, diners can contribute towards alleviating the shortage of cleaners in the cleaning workforce and mitigate the upward pressure on cleaning cost over time."
Caning to commence at noon.................
That would go over wonderfully at 0200 Saturday night in Flint MI…
Singapore is a scary place to visit. No gum allowed, if you’re caught using someone else’s isp you’re dead, no this, no that. Draconian and a half
Singapore is a beautiful place full of amazing culture and food.
Been there. Twice. Nice Zoo.
I was do but imma a good guy but now I just will stay out of food courts altogether
My niece has a friend with a little disabled daughter who wanted to go to Red Robin here in Carmel, Indiana. They got there and the manager said it would be a little while due to only have one server who was on her way.
Many places have no help at all. So weird, folks.
Yeah the pancake place in Zionsville has a sign on their white board
due to government largesse it is difficult to hire help so please bear with us for service
Zionsville too, huh? Pretty much that way all over the place.
My local coffee shop asks diners to clear their tables. Cuts down on staff. I don’t mind (the food and coffee are wonderful!) but they don’t get the same tip as a full service place.
“Singapore is a scary place to visit.”
False
“No gum allowed,”
False
“if you’re caught using someone else’s isp you’re dead, no this, no that. Draconian and a half”
False
This law disproprtionately affects “teens”
Then there are the individuals who had grocery and restaurant jobs who were allowed to operate during the height of the lockdowns, but who had mask mandates and now, in some cases, vaccine mandates. Some of these people have burnt out.
*************
Yep things have changed drastically from just a couple years ago. Store shelves are still bare to a large extent, yet people have to have things just to survive and/or enjoy. One thing I've noticed is that places like Walmart/large Grocery stores still have people there but are also doing a lot of in store shopping for them. You'll see workers pulling around buggies with several baskets filling them up for customers to come by later and pick up at a loading site.
“Singapore is a beautiful place full of amazing culture and food.
Been there. Twice. Nice Zoo.”
Been there as well. Went to a crocodile farm and got a wallet.
No safer city in the world. It is a bit authoritarian, though.
I was doing that for awhile, but the stores have their sites that you order from, but no stock to fill it. I wasn’t getting what I ordered or they were substituting with stuff I did not want.
Then there are the shopping fees, the delivery fees that add to the inflation priced groceries. Then some of those people want giant tips to bring you the messed up order.
I stopped doing that. I paid well, but it wasn’t well.
I visited there once. It was absolutely pleasant. In some ways, we should emulate their country. We’d be better off.
Lol. Carmel is one of the riches cities in Indians. Who on earth would work for 10 or even 20 dollars an hour?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.