Recommendation Paper on the Implementation of a Plastic Bag Charge in Singapore

Recommendation Paper on the Implementation of a Plastic Bag Charge in Singapore

Recommendation Paper on the Implementation of a Plastic Bag Charge in Singapore

In June 2016, we published our Position Paper on the Reduction of Single-Use Plastic Disposables in Singapore, to urge the government and businesses to develop concrete plans and take bold actions to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic disposables.

As a follow-up to our Position Paper and to focus specifically on the problem of excessive usage and wastage of single-use plastic bags in Singapore, Zero Waste SG recently conducted a public survey on a plastic bag charge. The survey would help us to understand the opinion of supermarket shoppers on a charge for plastic bags and whether they are ready for a plastic bag charge in the future.

This recommendation paper shows the results of the survey and recommends that the government introduce a mandatory plastic bag charge scheme to reduce the excessive usage and wastage of single-use plastic bags and to encourage people to bring their own reusable bags.

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4 Comments

  • bySusan
    Posted April 2, 2017 10:54 pm 0Likes

    These are what I think should be implemented

    – charge for plastic bags
    – charge for plastic cutleries and disable chopsticks
    – for eating-in, disposable-ware should be banned
    – phase out styrofoam cups/boxes. Encourage use of paper.

    Someone should market nice cutleries set and make it a fashion to use them.
    Have basins in foodcourt/hawker centres for rinsing them

    If the government can have nice promotion videos on education/reducing use of water, there should be a video to promote “reduce”

  • byBertha
    Posted November 29, 2017 11:36 am 0Likes

    I am a young Singaporean with serious concern on the protection of our environment. I believe I am not the only person who has written a message asking to implement a charge on plastic bags. Seriously I have no idea why the government is still not doing anything about it even after so many years after the bring your own bag campaign which is roughly 10 years ago. I am totally disappointed. The role of the government is to implement something that is beneficial to the general population and to our future even if a portion of the people is against it. Despite so many efforts by so many people requesting for a policy to charge for plastic bag, government is still not implementing it. Then why is COE still being implemented when majority of the people are against it? Does it mean that because reducing the use of plastic bag is not profitable and hence it gets stashed aside while for COE, there is huge money involved and hence it gets implemented? Why are there such a big difference in attitude towards these two issues? I have seen many countries implementing the charge on plastic bags, South korea, Hong kong, why is Singapore, whom it claimed to be a developed country doesn’t follow suit. In south Korea, where I have been living and working in for the past two years, supermarkets charge for plastic bags and they have boxes (boxes which are used to deliver and protect the goods/food products that are supplied to the supermarkets by the suppliers) for people to re-use to carry their grocery home (in the case if the consumer has a car). And in Songdo, Incheon where I live, people separate out their trash into food waste, metal, plastic and paper and throw them at a recycling center below the apartment unlike what we have (one big recycling bin that doesn’t separate out the trash)
    So don’t give excuses anymore for not being able to implement the charging of plastic bags, if Singapore really cares about the environment and the future generations, it should take concrete efforts to reduce the use of plastic bags. Reducing the use of plastic bag is only the first step, we still have a lot to improve on to become an environmentally conscious society. We are really far from it. And by reducing the number of plastic bags, less effort and money is needed to clean up trash from the seas and rivers in Singapore. The financial benefits far outweighs the cost. The environment does not belong to the supermarkets and the plastic bags manufacturers, it belongs to us – Singaporeans, the people who are living on earth and also to people all around the earth. Supermarkets, plastic bags manufacturers and selfish Singaporeans who are not environmentally concern should not have any say, this is where the government power is needed.
    I will fully support the implementation of the plastic bag charge.

  • byElisha
    Posted October 2, 2018 11:02 pm 0Likes

    I totally agree. I don’t understand why there are so many road block to plastic bag charge but COE and ERP can just raise charges overnight, amongst other charges and fines.
    Relying on education is not good enough, if it is good enough
    Why are there so many countries still imposing a ban?
    Look at recent survey only 3 out of 10 knows how to sort waste.
    Where is the education???

  • byMarcela
    Posted April 22, 2019 12:32 pm 0Likes

    Hello,
    When Weill the ban plastic bag will be implemented? Supermarkets and deliveries use one time plastic bags consistently. We have to make some serious changes if we want to reduce the 7.7MM tons of waste!
    And would also recommend all local school also ban all plastic = plastic bag for bun, for fish balls, for drinks and so on.

    How can we help to make it happen?
    Thank you,
    Marcela.

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