I applaud the effort by food and beverage outlets to stop providing plastic straws (Over 270 F&B outlets won't give out plastic straws from July 1, June 4), but more can be done.

Specifically, the use of single-use, disposable utensils in hawker centres, especially for dining in, should be looked into, if not banned altogether.

From what I gather, this use may be related to the cost of collecting and cleaning utensils.

I can understand why hawkers may opt for disposable utensils, considering that they may be short on manpower, especially during peak hours.

In other words, it is not a mere case of apathy but a systemic issue of hawker centre operations.

It makes sense to invest resources into remodelling hawker centres to make their operations cost-effective and environmentally sustainable.

Wong Weng Fai