Penang May Be Banning Single Use Straws And Polystyrene Very Soon!

Looks like Penang is really taking to the green road, with Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow hinting at a complete ban on single-use plastic straws and polystyrene cups. When asked about a proposal by the Penang Island City Council on taking the eco-friendly route, he went all Nike and said ‘Just do it’.

“The council should not hesitate to go ahead with their plans,” he said, as reported by Free Malaysia Today.

“If it is necessary, whatever the proposal is, just do it, because it is for the benefit of Penang and our beloved earth,” he said today at a community street cleaning programme at the Karpal Singh Drive waterfront promenade.

Source: FreeMalaysiaToday

He said the results of the general election showed strong support for the state government “to make Penang even cleaner and greener”.

Source: Facebook

At today’s “plogclean” event, there were more than 200 volunteers from various associations, members of the public, and MBPP staff picking up a total of 500kg of rubbish. Consumer affairs exco member Abdul Halim Hussain was among those who took part.

Source: Facebook

How wonderful to see Malaysians coming together to take better care of their home!

Chow said the “plogclean” event, at which participants pick up rubbish while jogging was aimed at bringing about changes in people’s behaviour. Getting people to be conscious of their actions, and how they dispose of their trash is certainly the way to go if we want to bring about change!

“It is the greatest challenge,” he said. “I have become friends with rubbish in the 10 years I was local government exco”.

He also added that the green agenda had been an issue the state government has been working on for the past decade.

If this proposal comes to pass, it would make Penang the first state in the country to completely ban all single-use straws and polystyrene. Back in 2009, Penang was the first state in Malaysia to launch the “No Free Plastic Bag”.

Also read: CM Introduces ‘Plogging’ to Make Penang M’sia’s Greenest State, Here’s What It Means