“Unfair To Make Life Difficult For Us ’Cos You Want To Be Eco-Friendly”: Hawker Hits Back At 80 Cents Charge For Biodegradable Takeaway Container At New Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre
The new Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre (BCHC) opened last week (Dec 17) to much fanfare in Sembawang. But just a day after opening, it has run into controversy over charges for takeaway packaging.
The highly-anticipated 800-seat food centre has 44 stalls serving local and fusion cuisines. Each stall also provides healthy, nutritionist-advised food options and eco-friendly biodegradable takeaway packaging.
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Photo: CNA
80 cents for a takeaway container
However, customers who visited BCHC on its opening day were taken aback by the high takeaway charges there. Shin Min Daily News reported that a Korean stall’s business was affected as people did not want to fork out 80 cents for its biodegradable container.
According to Shin Min, stalls at the hawker centre charge a range of 20 cents to 80 cents for the eco-friendly tapow packaging.
After customers’ feedback about the pricey takeaway charges, the hawker centre’s managing company, Canopy Hawkers Group, reportedly stipulated that stall owners are to charge no more than 30 cents for takeaway orders.
This presented a headache for businesses like the Korean stall, whose owner told Shin Min that he had to bear extra costs of up to $100 a day to absorb the balance for the biodegradable containers.
The 55-year-old hawker claimed that the total cost price of an eco-friendly takeaway container, cutlery and bag for his food was close to $1, compared to the 30 cents that his customers pay.
“Unfair To Make Life Difficult For Us ’Cos You Want To Be Eco-Friendly”
The move for hawkers to absorb the price of biodegradable takeaway packaging has upset hawker Melvin Chew, 44, the second-gen owner of Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap at Chinatown Complex Food Centre. He also runs Facebook group Hawkers United, which acts as a portal for hawkers to promote their businesses.
In a Dec 22 post in his group, Melvin opined that the situation was “very unfair” for the hawkers at BCHC. “Hawkers have no choice, unlike consumers. They cannot say that they don’t want to do takeaways. It will definitely affect their business and profits,” he points out to 8days.sg. “If the hawker has to fork out 50 cents [to absorb costs for the biodegradable containers], it eats a lot into their profit margin.”
Melvin shares that biodegradable packaging can cost “twice as much” as the usual plastic containers. “Consumers in Singapore still cannot accept that these containers cost double. If it’s about 10 cents more, people will support [the eco initiative]. But when it’s double, they’re not willing to pay anymore,” he says. “Of course we understand that pollution is a serious issue, but if customers are not willing to pay for the takeaway containers, everyone is affected. We need our customers to feel comfortable.”
Photo: CNA
Melvin opines that the cost of implementing eco-friendly takeaway packaging is a “major problem that cannot be settled by asking the hawker to pass the costs to their customers.”
He adds: “It’s unfair to make life difficult for hawkers just because you want to be eco-friendly. Absorbing costs can add up to a few thousand dollars a month, which can pay for a lot of other things like staff salaries. The operator should subsidise the hawkers or not make [eco-friendly packaging] compulsory. It’s a real issue — ultimately, a hawker centre is meant to serve the public.”
Shin Min reported that Canopy Hawkers Group is introducing cost-friendly packaging suppliers to stall owners and encouraging customers to bring their own reusable containers for takeaway.
8days.sg has contacted Canopy Hawkers Group for further comment.
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