The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment of Singapore announced that starting July 3, large-scale supermarket outlets were required to charge customers for plastic bags.

The government hopes to require large supermarkets in Singapore to charge shoppers at least 0.05 Singapore dollars for each disposable bag, which will complement Singapore’s efforts towards eco-friendly consumption, most notably the Say Yes to Less Waste campaign.

However, there are some concerns regarding the enforceability and efficacy of the new policy.

With nearly 2.5 billion plastic bags being used annually, and a lack of past policies surrounding usage, many Singaporeans have come to see free plastic bags as the norm.

Here double bagging most items or only putting two or three items per bag is commonplace.

Customers feel entitled to this wasteful usage, and cashiers face complaints when inquiring about the need for plastic bags.

One supermarket cashier said she certainly did not look forward to the prospect of having to charge for plastic bags.

Less economically privileged groups in Singapore, such as migrant workers, are vulnerable to rising costs.

While to the average consumer, five cents per bag might seem inconsequential, to migrant workers, every slight rise in cost adds up.

Again, the prevalence of plastic bag use plays a role.

Paying for nearly a dozen bags per week is unsustainable for these individuals as they have to be conscious of every dollar they spend.

One migrant domestic worker said it was common to pick up groceries several times a week or even after an outing with friends, and paying for plastic bags every single time would be burdensome.

Of course, this problem is somewhat offset by the fact that most migrant workers buy from smaller supermarkets that would not charge for plastic bags rather than large chains.

This issue also brings up the problem of efficacy.

The plastic bag charge policy will only apply to supermarket operators with an annual turnover of more than 100 million, roughly two-thirds of all supermarkets in Singapore.

This is because only large-scale businesses, including industry giants NTUC FairPrice or Cold Storage, can facilitate the requirements mandated by the policy.

However, this does result in one-third of all supermarket operators still being able to provide free plastic bags.

Despite these challenges, the stance of Singapore seems to be that a regulation towards plastic bag usage is the first step to a more environmentally friendly Singapore, with reputable sources such as Channel News Asia agreeing that it has been overdue.

The government is still in the process of brainstorming ways to lessen the impact of the policy on more vulnerable sectors of the population, and further revisions are underway.

Overall, this change needs to be made, and is a tentative start to achieving Singapore’s goal of being a zero-waste city.

Jonathan Moon
Grade 10
Singapore American School