Tray return: Coercion won’t work
Dr William Wan’s responses in the article, “Pay for your tray: Two hawker centres to start charging deposits for food trays” (Jan 29), seem to be out of touch with the situation on the ground.
A TODAY reader writes that coercive measures rarely work to incentivise behaviour, citing Yishun Park Hawker Centre as an example where patrons return only the tray without the used utensils, which are left behind on the table - possibly on purpose, or in retaliation. TODAY file photo
Dr William Wan’s responses in the article, “Pay for your tray: Two hawker centres to start charging deposits for food trays” (Jan 29), seem to be out of touch with the situation on the ground.
He had pointed to the “successful implementation” of similar tray return systems at other hawker centres managed by the Timbre group, such as the one in Yishun.
But, in fact, Yishun Park Hawker Centre faces the same issues that hawkers at Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre have been reporting.
In particular, some patrons return only the tray without the used utensils, which are left behind on the table - possibly on purpose or in retaliation.
“Hitting customers where it hurts - through their wallets” is not an “incentive”.
Such coercive measures only breed resentment, and are never a way to get people to change their habits.
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