Wee chairing MBKS council meeting yesterday.
KUCHING: Enforcement personnel will be visiting coffee shops and eateries come April 1 to ensure compliance to the ban on single-use plastic straws, said Kuching South City Council (MBKS) mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng.
With a month grace period starting March 1, Wee said the drinking from straws is more of a habit and not a necessity.
“There are many alternative straw products that businesses can offered instead. Since these products are offered as a choice to customers, naturally customers will have to pay for it if they want it,” he said after chairing MBKS monthly council meeting yesterday.
Besides that, Wee said two enforcement personnel each from MBKS and waste management company Trienekens will a form to team to catch the litterbugs, with a fine of up to RM2,000.
He also urged members of the public to report any cases of littering to the council by taking photos of such action and send them to MBKS’s enforcement unit.
Meanwhile, the mayor said a total of 20 locations have been identified to be installed with closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) to safeguard public safety. The tendering process for the installation will be handled by Ministry of Housing and Local Government.
An additional 83 locations will be installed with CCTVs through cooperation with the Sarawak Multimedia Authority, Wee said.