About the Campaign

The Why waste plastic bags? Choose reusable bags! campaign was launched in 2006 by National Environment Agency (NEA), together with its Working Group partners, i.e. major supermarket chains and retailers, the Singapore Environment Council and the Singapore Retailers Association had brought across when embarking on the campaign.

The objective of the campaign was to educate shoppers to use reusable bags instead of single-use plastic carrier bags whenever possible.

The campaign was aimed at reaching out to two main groups of people – the shoppers and the cashiers at retail outlets. Educational materials such as standees, wobblers, posters and pamphlets were displayed at 686 participating retail outlets to raise awareness among shoppers. Cashiers were trained to ask shoppers in a polite manner if they needed plastic bags for small purchases. Reusable bags are also made available for sale at low cost by participating retailers. Furthermore, the retailers had also provided incentives to encourage customers to use reusable bags instead of single use plastic bags as summarised in the table below.

Participating retailers and their incentive schemes

Information in this table will change as and when there is an update to the scheme or when there is a new participating retailer.

Facts about Plastic Bags

• On a per capital basis, our plastic bag consumption is 1.6 bags per person per day.

• Plastic bags thrown away as litter, dirty our public places, rivers and canals, and may even clog up drains, and this would lead to stagnant water and mosquito breeding.

• Plastic bags litter despoils nature trails, beaches and even chokes up mangroves and poses a threat to marine lives.

• If each family uses one less plastic bag a week, Singapore could save more than 50 million bags each year.

• Plastic bags are made from oil, a finite resource. By using reusable bags during our shopping trips, we will use fewer plastic bags and help to conserve earth’s resources.

• Plastic bags are not disposed of at Semakau Landfill. They are incinerated, along with other domestic wastes, at our four incineration plants.

• Hence, unlike countries that landfill their waste, the non-biodegradability of plastic bags is not a problem in Singapore.

That does not mean that we should use plastic bag excessively! It is a waste of resources.

What we can do

Here are some of the things we can do to help reduce wastage of plastic bags and conserve resources:

• Always take or ask for just enough plastic bags to carry purchases and no more.

• Better still, buy reusable (available at major supermarkets at low prices) and use them during shopping trips.

• Remember to bring your reusable bags when you go shopping.

• Say ‘No’ to plastic bags when buying only a few small items.

• Say ‘No’ to plastic bags when the items are packaged with handles (e.g. toilet rolls, rice packet, etc).

• When you need to have the plastic bag, save it for the next trip or use them as waste bin liners.

• When using a plastic bag as waste liner, fully fill the bag before throwing it away wherever possible.

• Do not throw away excess plastic bags as a trash/waste item. Reuse or recycle them.

• Encourage your family members, relatives, friends and colleagues to do the same.

Benefits of using reusable bags

In addition to helping the environment, reusable bags are also:

• kinder to hands and fingers than plastic carrier bags when filled up and carried as they are better designed for the purpose,

• can hold twice as many items as conventional plastic carrier bags,

• have handle straps that can go over the shoulder, leaving both our hands free for other purposes and making it easier for us to carry more,

• will not burst under the weight of heavy items, and

• are inexpensive, can be washed and last for years.

Let’s do our part!

• As consumers, we have the power to change things by consciously making the switch to reusable bags.

• Let’s do our part to support a worthy cause and help the environment!