Supermarkets in talks to charge for plastic bags

[Zeal mummy]

Why not we bring our own bags when going to shop at supermarkets, no need to pay the extra plastic bag charges and more environmental friendly.

Sometimes forget to bring, especially the older folks are used to having it provided. The supermarkets should start with having a corner where people can donate their unused bags/boxes etc.

[slmkhoo]

I feel like the supermarkets can use paper bags/boxes instead of charging consumers.

Paper works for some items, but frozen/cold items will have condensation - if you have to carry them for half an hour on public transport, paper bags might disintegrate! And boxes only work for car drivers and deliveries. I'm not sure how paper compares in terms of environmental impact though - from production to destruction. A combination of different materials (with different pricing structures) would be good - people can balance to cost/convenience/environmental concerns for themselves.

[slmkhoo]

Why not we bring our own bags when going to shop at supermarkets, no need to pay the extra plastic bag charges and more environmental friendly.

They've tried persuasion for years now, and it obviously isn't working very well. I have hardly taken a supermarket plastic bag for more than about 2 decades now - I lived in the UK when supermarkets gave rebates if you brought your own bag and charged for plastic bags; then in China when supermarkets charged for plastic bags. So when I came back to Singapore, I just continued to bring my own bags. As I said before, I mostly manage the trash issue with the smaller bags that you can't avoid anyway, and occasionally supplement with purchased small (cheap!) bags. It's not a big inconvenience once you get used to it. The charge is really just a kick in the right direction that a lot of people need, since persuasion isn't working.

[slmkhoo]

Sometimes forget to bring, especially the older folks are used to having it provided. The supermarkets should start with having a corner where people can donate their unused bags/boxes etc.

Yes, I hope they will have a system for donating and reusing bags. There are hygiene issues, but can we hope that people will be responsible and only donate clean bags? Anyway, there are lots of times when we have to "pay" when we forget something - don't bring water bottle, then buy a drink; forget EZlink card, then pay more to travel, etc. When we've paid a few times, we tend to forget less!

And for the low-income, maybe occasional handouts of a couple of reusable bags and a pack of small trash bags might be good.

The next thing to address is reusable bags - I also have a growing pile of them. Not all of them are in sizes that are useful to me. A convenient place to donate them would be good. Or any ideas for upcycling them?

[MrsKiasu]

For those recycled boxes etc..personally I feel better not at this covid time. We dont know where these boxes went to before comes to us.

[slmkhoo]

For those recycled boxes etc..personally I feel better not at this covid time. We dont know where these boxes went to before comes to us.

I really don't think the risk of catching Covid from a box is high. The risk is not any greater than catching it from the delivery person or buying packaged items from a supermarket.

[zac's mum]

Yes, I hope they will have a system for donating and reusing bags. There are hygiene issues, but can we hope that people will be responsible and only donate clean bags? Anyway, there are lots of times when we have to "pay" when we forget something - don't bring water bottle, then buy a drink; forget EZlink card, then pay more to travel, etc. When we've paid a few times, we tend to forget less!

And for the low-income, maybe occasional handouts of a couple of reusable bags and a pack of small trash bags might be good.

The next thing to address is reusable bags - I also have a growing pile of them. Not all of them are in sizes that are useful to me. A convenient place to donate them would be good. Or any ideas for upcycling them?

I think public libraries have a “donate your reusable bags” box. Do keep an eye out the next time you visit the library.

[slmkhoo]

I think public libraries have a “donate your reusable bags” box. Do keep an eye out the next time you visit the library.

I haven't visited a physical library for years! But my girls do - will ask them to look out for me. I "visit" the library every couple of weeks - virtually!

[starlight1968sg]

Why not we bring our own bags when going to shop at supermarkets, no need to pay the extra plastic bag charges and more environmental friendly.

I hv a spare plastic bag in my handbag.

For the weekly grocery shopping, how many bags to bring is a qn mark bec I wont know how much or bulky items i will buy? When items on offer, I will buy more. Perhaps the way to go is to buy a trolley and to bring it along when doing grocery shopping.

[starlight1968sg]

The next thing to address is reusable bags - I also have a growing pile of them. Not all of them are in sizes that are useful to me. A convenient place to donate them would be good. Or any ideas for upcycling them?

At the entrance of ntuc in Our Tamp Hub, the donated reusable bags are hung on the wall for folks to help ourselves.