The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) has rolled out a self-service plate and bowl return initiative at the Tanjung Bungah food complex, a pilot covering all 56 stalls at the site, according to NST. Diners are now asked to leave used plates, bowls and eating utensils at designated collection points once they finish their meals.
It is the first such programme at a council-run food complex. State Infrastructure, Transport and Digital Committee chairman and Tanjung Bungah assemblyman Zairil Khir Johari said each stall would receive two containers, one blue and one red. “The blue container is designated for used plates, bowls and eating utensils, while the red container is for food waste,” he said.
The council had received complaints about used crockery being left on tables and floors for long periods, attracting flies. Zairil said the initiative would also cultivate civic consciousness. “Besides improving waste segregation, this initiative promotes civic consciousness, as people learn to think about others rather than just themselves,” he told a press conference at the complex, the Penang state government news outlet Buletin Mutiara reported.
Mayor Datuk A. Rajendran said the council would assess the initiative within 30 days before deciding whether to extend it to other food complexes and hawker centres. He said the approach would be advice rather than penalties. Rajendran said prevention and reduction of waste came first, followed by proper segregation and recycling, noting that about 47 per cent of municipal solid waste was food waste.
Councillor Lee Seng Hwai said the programme followed a dialogue with stall operators several months ago, during which concerns over used crockery left on the floor were raised. He said RM1,742 from his councillor allocation went to 112 buckets and a 360-litre bin for the initiative. Stall operators must also collect food waste daily and place it in designated bins for composting.
The complex has been under a cleanliness spotlight since July, when The Star noted that five of its stalls were rated Grade C in the Housing and Local Government Ministry’s Clean Food Premises Campaign 2026, against four rated Grade A and 46 rated Grade B. The council has since carried out repainting, installed a recycling station and made minor repairs at the site.
Reception from operators and regulars was mixed. Retiree Mark Chew, 85, welcomed the move but said the council should not assume that everyone would follow the rules voluntarily. “Do it gradually over a few months. Send enforcement officers to issue warnings,” he said, adding that it could succeed if all parties cooperated.
Surina Shamsuri, who has sold cucur udang and other breakfast items at the complex since 2017, said the initiative should have come earlier and would ease the load on operators running stalls alone. She said fast-food chains had already trained customers to return their trays. Soup noodle operators Lee Bee Lan and Ang Chin Hock were more cautious, worrying that elderly customers could spill soup while returning their dishes, though they hoped the programme would be given a chance.
MBPP spent RM115,507.05 on minor maintenance at the complex from 2024 to 2026, covering electrical, plumbing and structural repairs, NST reported. Rajendran said the council would weigh each location’s suitability, operational needs and existing facilities. The initiative supports the Penang2030 vision of a clean and liveable urban environment.
