MPs reiterate call for plastic bag surcharge; MEWR says focus is on reducing excessive use of all disposables

Matthew Mohan Channel NewsAsia 6 Aug 19;

SINGAPORE: Members of Parliament (MPs) reiterated the call for plastic bag charges in Parliament on Tuesday (Aug 6), but Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor stressed the need for a wider approach beyond “singling out” single-use plastics.

Responding to a question from MP Lee Bee Wah, Dr Khor said that the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) does not exclusively target plastics.

She said: “Our approach has been to reduce the excessive use of all types of disposables, not just single-use plastics, and to promote the use of reusables.

“We do not target plastics alone ... substituting plastics with other types of single-use packaging materials is not necessarily better for the environment.”

All types of disposables have an environmental impact, said Dr Khor.

“The British government has estimated that a cotton tote bag will have to be used 173 times before its greenhouse emissions impact improves beyond that of the plastic bags used to line our bins,” she said.

There are “good reasons” why single-use plastic bags have to be given or used by the public, added Dr Khor.

“For years we have worked hard to inculcate this habit of bagging your rubbish before you dispose it to maintain good public hygiene,” said Dr Khor.

“We don’t want to undo such efforts, irresponsible disposal is going to lead to public hygiene issues like pest infestation for instance.”

Given that Singapore incinerates all its waste, it does not face the “challenges” other countries who are more reliant on direct landfilling do, she added.

WHY THE RELUCTANCE TO CHARGE FOR PLASTIC BAGS? MPS ASK

In response, Nee Soon GRC MP Dr Lee pointed out that a number of her constituents have asked why Singapore has been “so reluctant” to charge for the use of plastic bags, noting that other cities have already begun to do so.

MP Louis Ng, who had raised an adjournment motion in Parliament last year calling for the enforcement in charging for single-use carrier bags, also pointed out that doing so would prevent over-consumption.

This was echoed by MP Lim Biow Chuan.

“I don’t see why MEWR is so resistant to imposing charges for plastic bags,” Mr Lim said.

"When I go overseas ... (and you have to pay) five cents or 10 cents if you want a plastic bag ... The general attitude (of most is) might as well cut down on it.

"And that helps reduce the use of plastic bags.”

Said Dr Khor: “We are interested and closely monitoring developments on this front - in other countries how they manage disposables - and we will study their policies and the implementation outcome and see how they fit into our local context.”

Source: CNA/mt(rw)

Parliament: Three MPs renew call to charge for plastic bags
Rei Kurohi Straits Times 6 Aug 19;

SINGAPORE - Think again, Mountbatten MP Lim Biow Chuan suggested to the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) on Tuesday (Aug 6) as he called for a charge to be put on plastic bags.

"I don't see why MEWR is so resistant to imposing charges on plastic bags," Mr Lim said.

"When I go overseas and they tell me, you have to pay five cents or 10 cents if you want a plastic bag, the general attitude of most consumers is that they might as well cut all that. That helps reduce the use of plastic bags," he told Parliament.

Mr Lim was among three MPs renewing the call as a way to cut down the use of plastic bags.

Mr Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC) said plastic bag usage fell by 80 per cent in Britain after a charge was imposed.

"We're not saying ban or replace plastic bags, but we are calling for a plastic bag charge so that we can reduce the use of plastic bags. I think if we focus on this, then the Say Yes to Waste Less campaign will go a lot faster," he added, referring to a campaign by the National Environment Agency (NEA).

Mr Ng had proposed in Parliament last October that consumers be charged for all single-use carrier bags except for those used to carry fresh produce.

Ms Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon GRC) told the House many of her residents had questioned why Singapore was reluctant to take the step and charge people.

She had filed a parliamentary question on the likelihood of Singapore adopting a ban on single-use plastics similar to such bans in Britain and Ireland.

In response, Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor reiterated the Government's position on the issue.

Instead of focusing on plastics alone, the approach is to reduce the excessive consumption of all types of disposables, she said.

As Singapore incinerates all its waste, including plastic waste, it does not face the same challenges as countries that rely primarily on landfills, she added.

Most Singaporeans live in high-rise public housing and are used to bagging their rubbish before disposing of it in refuse chutes to maintain good public hygiene, she noted.

"We don't want to undo such efforts. Irresponsible disposal is going to lead to public hygiene issues like pest infestation."

Dr Khor said her ministry and the NEA are closely monitoring developments in other countries on how they manage their disposables.

"We will study their policies and implementation outcomes and see how they fit into our local context," Dr Khor said.

She also cited a study commissioned by Britain's Environment Agency that estimated that a cotton tote bag would have to be used 173 times before its greenhouse gas emission impact improves beyond that of plastic bags.

Non-Constituency MP Leon Perera and Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh (Aljunied GRC) asked if the studies she cited could be made available on government websites.

Dr Khor replied that the studies by the British government and the NEA are publicly available.