The 10-year-old was having lunch yesterday at the Hougang Mall Kopitiam outlet with her parents and older sister.

Her mother, Mrs Lily Low, had urged Magdalene to return the tray after seeing the colourful poster on the table urging diners to 'return their tray'.

The food court at Hougang Mall is one of five Kopitiam outlets participating in The Straits Times' Goodness Gracious Me! campaign, which kicked off on Saturday.

The campaign aims to get Singaporeans to start clearing their trays after dining out, as a way of showing consideration for the diners using the table after them.

And it seems it has got Singaporeans talking.

Undergraduate Vanda Lim, 20, said the poster on the table became a talking point for her family while they were having their lunch. 'It is a good start and a good attempt to get people to be more considerate, but it may take a while before it yields results.'

The Lims said that, while they did not clear their trays as it was not common practice among Singaporeans, they agreed that the poster compelled them to ensure that they did not make a mess of the surrounding area.

Diners interviewed at the various outlets said the presence of efficient, on-the-ball cleaners made it easy to leave their trays on the table.

Mr Bryan Lum and his wife Amelia, both 34, had just finished lunch at the Plaza Singapura outlet and stood up to return their trays when a cleaner intervened and took the trays from them.

Mr Lum, however, felt that the intent behind the campaign was good as it 'helps to inculcate social graciousness'.

Over at Tan Tock Seng hospital, Mr C.K Tan, a cabby in his 50s, said diners are used to having cleaners quickly wipe up the mess but he was optimistic that the campaign would help bring about a change in mindset. He said: 'I saw the poster. Next time, I will try to remember.'

Mr Gavin Pathross, 29, felt that in order for the campaign to succeed, there should be little room for mixed signals. 'Either it is compulsory for us to clear the trays or it is not. There is no room for a hybrid system here.'

Miss Tan Swee Cher, 52, who has been working at Hougang Mall's Kopitiam for the last six months, said weekends see brisker business and the higher volume of customers would require the cleaners to take on the job.

She said in Mandarin: 'It is a good project and I saw five or six young people returning their trays when they saw the posters on the table.'

Some diners, however, felt that the campaign could be met with more success if conditions at food courts here were made more conducive, such as having more tray-return stations. Each food court now has about three tray-return stations.

Mrs L.Wong, 60, a part-time school librarian, said she had a habit of returning trays, especially since one could easily see where the clearing stations were.

Having returned her empty bowl to the tray-return station at the Plaza Singapura outlet yesterday, she said: 'It reflects badly on us when we leave a mess behind. But before we can be pushed to return the tray, there must be a place to return it.'

Others felt that returning trays would be inconvenient given that they were sharing food and thus had many bowls and utensils to contend with.

One such diner was Mr Kang Yen Hun, 36, who was having lunch with his family at Hougang Mall. 'When we share food, we have to remove the trays. If it were a fast-food restaurant, I can understand. But at a food court, where there is communal eating involved, it is not practical.'

Cleaners said that though the Goodness Gracious Me! project had just been launched, a slight improvement could already be seen.

kimspyke@sph.com.sg

Additional reporting by Judith Tan, Ang Yiying, Seow Kailun and April Cheong

NO IMPROVEMENT

'About five people returned their trays. Behaviour did not improve much at the foodcourt today as it was very crowded and many people called to me very rudely to come and clean up their tables!'
Cleaner Leow Siew Eng, 47, who works at the foodcourt in Hougang Mall and doubles up during the Goodness Gracious Me! campaign as a table spy for The Straits Times.

REMINDERS HELP

'The campaign is a good idea. Some people need to be prodded as they are a little shy to do something that makes them stand out from the rest. Having someone constantly reminding us to do what is right will help the habit become second nature. We always clear our tables after a meal, otherwise my son Dylan will remind us to.'
Ms Perlita Goh, 49, homemaker

LOCALS ARE SPOILT

'The customers at McDonald's all around the world, except here, bus their own trays. I guess it is the culture of having domestic helpers in the home that contributes to people not returning their trays after a meal. This goes hand in hand with having cleaners at these eateries. People tend to assume it is their duty and so leave the mess behind.'
Mr Danny de Hert

CLEANERS ARE GOOD

'I come here often for lunch with the family and we find the place very clean. The 'aunties and uncles' are very conscientious. I think it's good that the stickers are placed on the tables as they serve as a reminder.'
Mr Timothy Fong

DO IT YOURSELF

'It encourages personal responsibility. You don't just leave your food there and expect others to clean up after you.'
Nashita Pillay, 16, student, who was having lunch with her father, Mr Thevanathan Pillay

IT'S COURTEOUS

'Of course this is a good campaign! If you sit down at a dirty table, you will also lose your appetite.'
Mrs Helen Tay, 50, homemaker

TOO EFFICIENT

'The decals on the tables are good reminders for patrons to return their trays, but, sometimes, the cleaners are just too efficient.'
Mrs Stephanie Lim, 40, homemaker