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GEORGE TOWN, Aug 23 — The local Penang island government is optimistic it can fully enforce the ban on single-use plastics within the next four years.
Penang Island City Council (MBPP) Mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang said the state government has made a commitment to ban single-use plastics from all government events and hopes to enforce it by 2023.
“It is our goal to encourage the public to adopt this programme by refusing to use single-use plastics and opt for environmentally-friendly alternatives,” he said in his speech in opening the Second IMT-GT Green Cities Mayor Meeting in Parkroyal Resort here.
The Penang state government introduced the “No Single Use Plastics” programme last year and started the awareness campaign in earnest this year.
Earlier this year, a survey conducted by the state government revealed 76 per cent support for the No Single Use Plastics campaign.
State executive councillor Phee Boon Poh who is also Penang Green Council chairman said the state will continue to hold stakeholder engagements on the campaign.
Currently, the campaign is still on an awareness drive to encourage businesses and consumers to stop using single-use plastics such as straws, plastic bottles and plastic wrappings.
All eateries have been advised not to provide straws with drinks sold.
Penang is the first state to introduce a No Free Plastic Bag campaign back in 2009 and a ban on polystyrene in 2012.
Malaysians use up about 31 million plastic straws every day which is enough to fill up eight school buses per day, 57 per week and 2920 per year.
