SIBU: The Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) wants the public to cooperate when its “Say No to Plastic Straws” ruling is implemented on Jan 1, 2020.
SMC chairman Datuk Tiong Thai King said, “Eatery outlets will stop giving out plastic straws to customers”.
He also acknowledged that the implementation of the ruling would take time to reach its peak as both consumer and business owners need to be educated.
“They need to realise the rationale behind the ruling as it is a progress that will slowly but surely have a better impact on the environment and will lead to a better future for the generations to come,” he said at the launch of the 2019 Love Earth Day.
He added that the single-use of plastic straws is one of the biggest contributors to environmental pollution.
“One study published in January this year estimated that as many as 8.3 billion plastic straws pollute the world’s beaches. In Malaysia alone, studies show that we are using up to 30 million straws per day, and plastic straws can take up to 200 years to disintegrate and that is a really, really long time,” he said.
According to the studies by the United Nations, “Almost every piece of plastic ever made is still on this planet in one form or another”.
Studies, he pointed out had also predicted that by 2050, there will be more plastic waste than fishes in the oceans.
“In this regard, ‘Stop Pollution is the best Solution’. We can help change the fate of our planet by adapting our behaviours and adopting new habits, such as ‘Say No to Plastic Straws’ as a global sustainability strategy. This small act can contribute towards the conservation of our oceans and the environment,” he said.
Among those present were deputy chairman Rogayah Jamain and organising chairman Councillor Lai Chiong Ann.
Meanwhile, the management of Wisma Sanyan in support of 2019 Love Earth Day, is piloting a household battery waste collection point.
The public can now place their clean used batteries (AA, AAA, Alkaline, Ni-Cad, Ni-MH) in clearly marked box specially designed to collect use batteries on the ground floor of the building.
“We at Wisma Sanyan are very concerned about harmful heavy metal waste materials ending up in our rivers and farms, and this effort is aimed at encouraging families who love to visit Wisma Sanyan to put aside their used batteries properly, and to bring them to the Battery Box, thus preventing them from being mixed in with other wastes, and into our landfills, rivers, farms, and eventually our food and drink. Together with everybody’s support, we can make sure Sibu becomes a green haven for our children and their children,” the company said in a press statement.
