Why Bring Your Own Bag Day must stay voluntary

Why green scheme must stay voluntary
Straits Times Forum 15 Jan 09;

I THANK Ms Cindy Tan for her letter, 'What's happened to Bring Your Own Bag Day in supermarkets?' (Jan 6).

When the Bring Your Own Bag scheme started in April 2007, it was a monthly affair. Its goal was to drum up awareness that an excessive number of plastic bags were handed out free and tossed out every day.

As Singaporeans have long been accustomed to the idea that plastic shopping bags are handed out free, the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and the National Environment Agency anticipate the process of changing consumer habits to take some time.

We hope that Bring Your Own Bag Day will continue to be a solely voluntary programme, with retailers taking the lead. It has indeed been suggested to us to implement the scheme daily. However, we feel that, if shoppers manage to remember to bring their own bags on Wednesdays, the other days of the week should not pose a problem.

Ms Tan's observation that some cashiers have bagged groceries as usual on Wednesdays has not escaped us. We are also aware that cashiers face a tough job asking for donations from customers who take plastic bags. They are sometimes reprimanded and even verbally abused.

Retailers face a challenge training their cashiers, especially new staff and part-timers. Hence, the SEC will continue to work with them to improve on staff knowledge and awareness levels. The funds that have been raised will be used to further bolster the effectiveness of the programme.

On a positive note, additional sectors have come forward voluntarily to implement Bring Your Own Bag Day in their stores. Most recently, a small chain of florist shops and video stores have pledged their support.

The SEC views Bring Your Own Bag Day as a good opportunity for Singaporeans to demonstrate that they do not need legislation or draconian actions by the authorities in order to achieve positive results. In the meantime, we will look further into ways of raising shoppers' awareness and transforming this awareness into action. If shoppers can grasp the importance of reducing waste, they can go to any store and remember to bring their own bag, whether or not the store has a policy of charging for plastic bags.

Once again, the SEC would like to thank Ms Tan for her invaluable feedback and we welcome any further questions or comments.

Esther Tan (Ms)
Projects Manager
Singapore Environment Council