We are sorry to hear about Mr Philip Foong Soon Fatt's unpleasant experience when returning trays at our hawker centres ("Hiccups in tray-return scheme"; last Tuesday).

And we agree with Mr Yoong Fung Yan's suggestion to encourage diners to consume their food on the trays instead of placing their plates on the table directly ("Eat from trays for cleaner tables"; Forum Online, last Tuesday).

Before the rollout of the Tray Return Initiative in each of our hawkers centres, the table-cleaning contractors and their table-cleaners are briefed on the programme and their roles in facilitating the return of trays by patrons.

We will continue to remind the table-cleaning contractors and their table-cleaners to help ensure the effectiveness of the system.

The National Environment Agency will also continue to work closely with the tray-return partners, as well as other stakeholders, to bring about greater awareness of and participation in the programme.

We thank Mr Foong and Mr Yoong for their feedback and suggestions.

Ivy Ong (Ms)
Director
Hawker Centres Division
National Environment Agency