S1E105: Is a plastic bag fee the right 'green' solution for Singapore?

Will this kickstart a change in Singaporean habits towards
embracing a greener and less wasteful society?


Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, The Straits
Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from
biodiversity conservation to climate change.


Plastic bags. Let’s face it, most of us use them. They are a key
feature of our consumer lifestyles, a symbol of convenience. But
they are a huge source of waste, with the vast majority burned,
sent to landfills or clogging rivers and the sea. 


On July 3, 2023, Singapore introduced a minimum 5 cents charge
for disposable plastic bags provided at hundreds of
supermarkets. 


The aim is to nudge shoppers to think about how many bags they
use and to switch to reusable bags instead. It’s all part of
changing behaviour to reduce the huge amount of plastic waste and
curb environmental impacts. 


So what’s the reaction been to the bag charge? Is it changing
behaviour? 


ST climate editor David Fogarty invites science content creator
Ms Kong Man Jing to the studio. She is better known as BioGirl MJ
in her YouTube and Instagram channels Just Keep Thinking. 


Highlights (click/tap above):


3:18 What sort of plastic Ms Kong sees during her regular group
visits to the seashore


7:03 How are people responding to the plastic bag charge?


9:34 The idea of a fee per bag at supermarkets faced strong
resistance. Why is that?


15:10 Should Singapore move towards a higher charge and a total
ban on all single-use plastics?


Produced by: David Fogarty (dfogarty@sph.com.sg), Ernest
Luis, Hadyu Rahim & Paxton Pang


Edited by: Hadyu Rahim


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Special edition series:


True Crimes Of Asia (new): https://str.sg/i44T


The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps):
https://str.sg/wuZ2


Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn


Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB


Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa


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