The Star 10 Feb 11;
TESCO outlets in Penang have reduced their plastic bag distribution by 85% since the ‘Everyday is a No Free Plastic Bags Day’ campaign began this year.
Tesco Malaysia corporate and legal affairs director Azlam Shah Alias said some 50 million plastic bags had been saved since the hypermarket signed on for the state’s campaign in July 2009.
“When the four Tesco outlets in Penang started the ‘No Free Plastic Bag Day’ campaign, we implemented it from Monday to Wednesday and our plastic bag distribution dropped by 50%.
“Just by adding another four days (this year), we saw a remarkable drop of 85%.
“To date, we have saved 50 million plastic bags from going to the landfill,” he said.
Azlam was speaking at the official launch of the ‘Everyday is a No Free Plastic Bags Day’ campaign at Tesco Extra in Sungai Dua on Penang island recently.
In conjunction with the launch, the hypermarket distributed 500 reusable green bags made of recycled plastic and jute to customers.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who officiated the launching, reiterated that the state was not banning plastic bags outright.
“Those who want plastic bags can still purchase them for 20sen (each).
“Proceeds from this collection are donated to the state’s Partners Against Poverty (PAP) Fund to aid the hardcore poor,” he said.
Lim said to date, the PAP fund stood at a total of RM401,868, out of which Tesco had contributed RM115,241.
“Despite opposition from certain pro-plastic groups and opposition parties, we (the state) believe that the majority of civic-minded Penangites share our vision of transforming Penang into an international and intelligent city.
“To do this, Penang must go green,” he said, adding that co-operation from hypermarkets, supermarkets and other businesses went a long way in cutting down the estimated eight plastic bags Malaysians used weekly.
