Forum: Spare a thought for the elderly on tray return rule
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I read with dismay that an 80-year-old man was one of the first people issued with a warning ticket for not returning his tray after a meal at a hawker centre ( At least one written warning issued on first day of stricter enforcement to return trays
By inference, when caught the next time, he will be fined.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) has said that “those able to bring the trays and food to the table on their own should likewise be able to return their trays and used crockery”.
What NEA failed to consider is that the elderly would usually sit nearest to the stall they patronise because of their difficulty in balancing a laden tray.
In fact, I have also often seen stallholders take food orders to elderly customers.
Instead of punishing seniors who may have difficulty making their way to a tray return station that could be several metres away, we should take their physical condition into consideration and help them.
Isn’t this the inclusive, kind society we want to encourage?
Margaret Chong
