A foreign student in Singapore was taken aback recently after he received a warning for not clearing his used plate and utensils

He recently posted about the experience on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu to warn other foreign students to not fall into the same predicament.

Spent S$4 on a meal, almost fined S$300

The student, whom we will name W for the purpose of this article, is studying at a private university in Singapore.

In his post, W said that he did not clear his used crockery and tray after finishing his meal.

He said that as he was walking away, he was handed a warning ticket.

"I was shocked! It was my first time being issued a ticket," he wrote.

There was no fine. Instead, he was just warned that if he continues to neglect clearing his tray and crockery, he will be fined S$300.

W's post was accompanied by a photo of a warning ticket that was issued in June, likely for illustrative purposes.

Warning other foreign students

W took the opportunity to warn other foreign students and Xiaohongshu users to clear their crockery after dining in public eateries in Singapore.

Some users said that he should have returned his tray and crockery in the first place.

One said, "You should have returned your crockery in the first place. It's normal for the officers to not give you a fine. Keeping the tables clean at these eateries is the right thing to do."

Many others said that it might be more difficult for tourists who are not familiar with local laws.

"How do new tourists coming to Singapore know the local news?" said one user.

"It would be better to have notices on the table... [The] social habits that everyone accepts are different. Dining habits are also different. A notice would be better than a sudden fine."

While W did not mention this, many tables in hawker centres have notices that inform diners to clear up after themselves.

More on the tray-clearing law

Since Sep. 1, 2021, it is mandatory for customers to clear their own trays and crockery at hawker centres.

Diners who do not return their trays will face enforcement action, including a first-time warning and a subsequent fine of S$300. Repeat offenders will be issued court fines.

Starting this year on Jun. 1, enforcement officers are allowed to ask for the particulars of diners who do not return their used trays and crockery.

An 80-year-old man received a written warning at the same hawker centre on Jun. 1 after enforcement actions have been ramped up.

Top image credit: NEA.