Shoppers will likely have to pay 5 to 10 cents for each disposable bag at supermarts from 2023
SINGAPORE - Consumers will likely have to pay between five and 10 cents for a disposable bag at supermarkets starting from the first half of next year.
This was proposed in the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) new guidelines on a disposable carrier bag charge announced on Thursday (Jan 27). The guidelines are intended to discourage the excessive consumption of disposable bags and promote the use of reusable ones.
The agency is seeking feedback on the guidelines, which are part of governmental recommendations to cut waste generated in Singapore.
The majority of supermarkets here are expected to implement this charge in their stores. The charge will not apply for online purchases.
Under the guidelines, supermarkets will also need to disclose the number of bags issued, the total amount charged for them and how they use the proceeds.
Environmental groups have been calling for a charge on disposable bags for years. A 2018 study done by the non-profit Singapore Environment Council found that shoppers take 820 million disposable carrier bags from supermarkets a year, an average of 146 bags a person.
Some shops have already been charging consumers for plastic bags. For example, FairPrice has been charging shoppers 20 cents per transaction for plastic bags at selected outlets since November 2019.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...each-disposable-bag-at-supermarkets-from-2023
