By Balqis Jazimah Zahari
Photo Balqis Jazimah Zahari
IPOH: The Perak government will discuss with hawkers at the state’s Ramadan Bazaar for a proposal to offer discounts to customers who use their own food containers when buying food.
The chairman of the state’s Housing and Local Government Committee, Sandrea Ng Shy Ching, said it was an initiative of the state government’s campaign to promote the environmentally friendly concept.
“We are doing more of an awareness campaign program to publicize it, because sometimes we want to reduce the resistance from users also, because they feel carrying the container is ‘leceh’ (difficult) and so on.
“We are also trying to discuss with hawkers for a win-win situation, because if hawkers can offer some discounts to users who bring their own containers, it can encourage them (to use their own containers),” she said at a press conference when she went to the Bazar Ramadan Stadium here. today.
Sandrea said, her party will also try to work with the private sector through a corporate social responsibility (CSR) program to encourage the use of self-contained containers or biodegradable plastic bags.
“Maybe there are goodies that can be given to visitors who bring their own containers.
“That is one of the ways and awareness that we are trying to raise now, at the same time we are also sharing information about the amount of waste produced, what the situation is like at the landfill site which is very critical so that there is awareness for us to cooperate in that direction,” she said.
Meanwhile, she said, this year the Bazar Ramadan under MBI will also practice an environmentally friendly concept with the use of biodegradable plastic bags and encouraged visitors to use their own food containers.
“We hope it can reduce the burden of producing a lot of garbage throughout the year,” she said.
Asked by reporters if the concept of using biodegradable plastic bags will be expanded to other districts in the state, she said, so far it depends on initiatives at the Local Authority (PBT) level.
“It’s just that overall it’s encouraging, even though there are hawkers who start early and some who start late, but overall we are moving in that direction.
“We see throughout the month of Ramadan that the use of materials for packaging is very high. So all PBTs, one by one, are also using this concept,” she said.
