SIBU: All drink stalls at the forthcoming Borneo Cultural Festival (BCF) will not give out plastic straws to their customers in compliance with a ruling by the local council.
The 16th BCF will take place from July 18 to 27 at its traditional venue, the town square.
Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) will fully enforce the ban on plastic straws effective January 1 next year.
The council’s Public Health and Environment chairman, Councillor Rhoda Ting, said the BCF is a good place and time to start the full implementation of the ban.
“The public will be more aware of the ban before its implementation next year,” she said.
Ting said food and drink stall operators at the BCF who are caught supplying plastic straws to their customers would be fined.
“We want all of them to support the ban so we’ll penalise the rule breakers,” she warned.
Council chairman Datuk Tiong Thai King said the grace period of the ban is until December 31 so that eateries can clear their remaining stocks of plastic straws.
A campaign called “Say No to Plastic Straw” shall be made a licensing condition for hawkers or traders effective Jan 1 next year.
On the BCF, Tiong said numerous cultural activities have been planned for the 10-day event.
“I am proud to announce that BCF is one of the major tourism events in Sarawak. It is recognised and supported by the Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Ministry and is also a significant community development programme under the state Local Government and Housing Ministry for SMC,” he said.
