Individual Responsibility in Reducing Usage of Plastic Bags

Every year, Singapore uses about 2.5 billion plastic bags a year for bagging purchases. This translates into 1.7 bags per person each day. While this is better than Taiwan's 2.4 and Hong Kong's 3.7, it is still a very high figure. The National Environment Agency (NEA) wants to bring down usage down to the levels in countries such as Australia (1.0), the United States (0.9) and Ireland (0.8). The ideal level would be zero but that is not possible, especially in a society plagued by mass consumerism. Achieving this target is not easy, and it will take the concerted effort of every individual to realise it. No longer can the responsibility of environmental conservation and protection be solely placed on the government or industries. It is now clear that every individual has a part to play in environmental protection and can make a difference.

Plastic, which is made from crude oil is a non-renewable resource, and should be used wisely. Current practices of throwing away plastic bags after use are far too wasteful and unsustainable for the environment in the long run. Being non-biodegradable, plastic bags have to be either incinerated or dumped in landfills. In Singapore, the incineration option is usually chosen as dumping in landfills is not a viable permanent alternative in our land-scarce country. However, incinerating plastic bags produces toxic fumes such as carbon monoxide which can kill in high concentrations.

The improper disposal of plastic bags also poses additional problems to the environment. Carelessly discarded plastic bags can end up as litter and clog up drains or collect rainwater, becoming ideal sites for the breeding of mosquitoes and other pests. This would promote the transmission of vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue-fever. The sight of plastic bags strewn all over the place is an eyesore and mars the beauty of our living environment and taints the image of Singapore as a “Garden City”. Not to mention the additional costs incurred in clearing up the mess. Plastic bags can also harm wildlife and have a strong tendency to suffocate marine and land creatures.

The best solution to these problems is to reduce the usage of plastic bags and reuse them as much as possible. However, this is easier said than done in a society where the “use-and-throw” mentality is so deeply ingrained. Efforts have been made by the government, mass media and environmental watch-groups to enlighten the masses of the consequences of unrestrained and rampant usage of plastic bags.

Recently, Singapore launched the “Bring Your Own Bag Day” (BYOBD) campaign on 18th April 2007 to generate awareness of the importance and need for individual responsibility in environmental protection. The BYOBD is held on every 1st Wednesday of the month. On this day, customers are expected to bring their own shopping bags to participating outlets to hold their purchases. They can also buy reusable bags at these outlets or will have to donate 10 cents for every plastic bag they use to the SEC, which will use money to fund other environmental programmes. While the intention of this campaign is noble, its effectiveness in promoting the intended message remains in question.

I wonder how many shoppers actually know the purpose and message of the BYOBD. For many of these heartlanders are ordinary ‘aunties’ and ‘uncles’ who are illiterate and do not read the newspapers. This is where the message of individual responsibility in environmental conservation fails to reach its intended audience. What I suggest is that television advertisements highlighting the purpose of the BYOBD, not just mere details of when it is held, be screened often during prime air-times. Cashiers at participating outlets could also take some time to explain the message of the campaign to customers. If this is not possible (for fear of holding up queues), perhaps schools could send students as ambassadors to explain the message to customers at these outlets as part of their community involvement programme. This way, we could kill two birds with one stone.

Another shortcoming of the BYOBD is that it is only held once a month. Doing so would cause people to shop on other days to avoid the inconvenience of having to bring their own bags or ‘paying’ for plastic bags. While I understand that it might take some time for consumers to wean out this practice of the provision of free plastic bags by shops, I feel that holding BYOBD once a month is far too rare and insufficient to drive home the importance the message to the public. In other countries such as Japan and South Korea, it is a daily practice to charge their customers for every plastic bag they use at certain retail stores and supermarkets. Singapore still has a long way to go towards emulating these societies in terms of good environmental practices.

The BYOBD should also be extended to all shops instead just a few supermarkets and retail stores. Why limit the BYOBD when the purpose is to reduce usage of plastic bags on a national scale? However, this must be done carefully with sufficient checks in place to prevent shopkeepers from profiteering from ‘selling’ plastic bags and causing consumers to incur extra costs.

The BYOBD is a good start and is the right direction forward for Singapore in empowering individuals with the responsibility in environmental conservation and protection. Nevertheless, the campaign has room for improvement. We must not let up in our efforts in protecting the environment and I hope there will be more campaigns to educate the masses and imbue them with the individual responsibility to care for the environment.


Points to take note of the next time you go shopping:

• Do not ask for a bag for small purchases
• Always ask cashiers to pack more purchases into bags
• Avoid double-bagging
• Carry and use reusable bags where possible