By Wednesday, June 20, KFC Singapore deepens its commitment to help the environment by no longer using plastic straws and cup lids for dine-in customers and in all 84 stores in the whole country. However, for takeout orders, lids will still be provided.
KFC launched its “No Straws Initiative,” a program to reduce its single-use plastic items, which amount to a whopping 17.8 metric tonnes per year.
The general manager of KFC Management, Ms. Lynette Lee, said, “We recognize that every little bit counts and are proud to be the first fast food restaurant in Singapore to champion this movement, one straw at a time.”
While KFC is the first fast food chain to embark on more policies dedicated to preserving the environment, more and more establishments in Singapore and all over the world are embracing this sort of change. Last month, Millennium Hotels and Resorts (MHR) properties announced that they are phasing out the use of plastic utensils and straws by June of 2019.
Environmental programs like Straw-Free Singapore, which raises awareness of how plastic straws damage both land areas and bodies water, as well as encourages companies to adopt straw-free policies, are also gaining traction.
Many Singaporeans would like to see more pro-active initiatives on the part of the government. Ten environmentalist groups wrote an open letter two months ago, stating that regulatory actions like reducing plastic straws, recycling plastic and imposing a minimal tax on using plastic shopping bags will have positive effects for the future.
But there are certain legislators who believe that plastic bags are necessary for everyday life in Singapore, including Dr. Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources, who said earlier this year that plastic bags are necessary for the hygienic disposal of waste due to the humid and warm climate of the country.
Dr. Khor said last March, “In Singapore, a more sustainable approach is to tackle the excessive consumption of all types of disposables,” but that “imposing a charge or ban on disposable plastic bags and substituting them with other types of disposable bags is unlikely to improve environmental outcomes.”