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SINGAPORE. Soon people will pay more for plastic: by July 3, most supermarkets are charging at least 5 cents per pack.
The move is part of Singapore’s efforts to reduce single use in tandem with efforts to step up efforts to recycle at home.
About 400 large supermarkets – or two-thirds of all stores here – will charge for single-use shopping bags. These include NTUC FairPrice, Cold Storage, Giant, Sheng Siong and Prime supermarkets.
While the prices for single-use bags were first announced in 2022, a July 3 sales start date was announced in Parliament by Senior Secretary of State for Sustainable Development and Environment Amy Hall on Thursday.
During a budget discussion for the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE), Dr. Koch said: “After consulting with supermarket operators, we realized that most of them would charge 5 cents per pack, which would ease the burden on consumers. Potential impact on costs. We can bring our own reusable bags to avoid fees.”
A joint statement from the National Environment Agency (NEA) and MSE states: “Whether disposable items are made from paper, plastic or compostable materials, they have an impact on our environment during production, transportation and disposal.”
Since all disposable bags in Singapore are recycled or incinerated before being thrown into landfill, biodegradable bags reduced to ash cannot naturally decompose here. Biodegradable bags are also not necessarily recyclable.
Some small retailers and some supermarkets voluntarily charge for plastic and paper shopping bags. These include The Body Shop, H&M, Guardian, Watsons, 7-Eleven, 11 FairPrice stores and 178 Cheers and FairPrice Xpress stores.
Dr Hor said that similar programs in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the UK have reduced the use of plastic bags by 60 to 90 percent.
She added that authorities will be monitoring the effectiveness of supermarket baggage fees from July and assessing whether there will be a need to extend mandatory coverage to other stores in the future.
To signal that supermarkets are going to charge for shopping bags and encourage shoppers to switch to reusable bags, environmental organization Zero Waste SG has been holding weekend roadshows at various supermarkets since February 11. Shoppers who have spare reusable shopping bags at home can leave them at the “bring your own bag” kiosk for families in need to pick them up.
The two-month road show will take place at the Sheng Siong branch at Serangoon North Avenue 5 from March 4th to 6th.
Supermarket operators will be required to publish information on the number of bags provided, the amount of revenue received and how they are used. Dr. Khor added that all supermarket operators have indicated that they intend to use the proceeds for environmental and social purposes.
Families are also being reminded to responsibly pack their trash. Mr. Andrew Yeoh, Associate Director of Public Affairs at Zero Waste SG, said that small waste can be packed in empty bread bags instead of plastic bags, and large waste can be packed in tissue boxes or rice and food bags. pets.
Dr. Koch also announced that later this month each family will be able to pick up a trash can from the vending machine, making it easier for families to recycle and recycle properly.
The collapsible box, called the Bloobox, can hold up to 5kg of waste paper, plastic, metal or glass, and e-waste. Each bin is equipped with a removable divider to separate small electronic waste such as batteries and light bulbs from other recyclables.
During pilot distributions in November 2022 and December 2022, household waste bins were distributed to residents of five counties: Fengshan, Sembawangxi, North Tamping, Yio Chu Kang, and Yuhua.
More than 8,600 households – almost the same number of households in Outram – collected trash cans during the pilot project.
”This (pilot) phase is designed to help NEA evaluate and refine the distribution program and help ensure a seamless fundraising experience across the country,” the NEA said in a statement.
The recyclables collected in the Bloobox can be placed in the blue trash can or recycling chute, which is more common in new HDB areas. However, e-waste must be disposed of in designated e-waste bins throughout the island.
The purpose of the household trash cans is also to help increase Singapore’s domestic recycling rate and prevent blue trash cans from becoming contaminated.
Singapore’s domestic recycling rate in 2021 is 13%, a 10-year low. About 40 percent of items in blue trash cans cannot be recycled due to contamination from food and liquid waste, fabrics and other items.
Refundable deposits will soon be placed on packaged drinks to increase the recycling of plastic bottles and cans. Consumers can get a refund – perhaps 10 to 20 cents – for returning empty beverage containers.
Dr. Khor said bottles and cans ranging from 150 ml to 3 liters will be part of an upcoming beverage container recycling scheme. The program is expected to be launched in mid-2024.
“NEA will set a recycling target of 80%… According to this, we expect to collect about 800 million plastic bottles and metal cans for recycling every year,” she added.
Sustainable Development and Environment Minister Fu Haiyan announced Thursday in Parliament that from 2023, more households will be offered vouchers for one to three bedroom apartments to purchase energy-efficient appliances.
Under the current initiative, which was due to run until the end of 2023, every one- to three-bedroom home can redeem three $225 e-vouchers for energy-efficient refrigerators, LED lights, and water-saving shower accessories.
Approximately 300,000 households are currently eligible to receive approximately 900,000 e-coupons under the Climate Friendly Homes program. About 33,000 vouchers had been claimed as of January, according to the NEA.
Ms. Fu said in Chinese that more details on the scheme expansion and device list will be provided later this year, with changes starting next fiscal year.
Post time: Mar-06-2023