|
| all news articles | by topics |
|
news
articles about singapore's wild places
|
| Today
Online 16
Jun 05 Plastic bag issue goes online ... features in a public opinion poll on Yahoo! Singapore website Lee U-Wen u-wen@newstoday.com.sg Search engine Yahoo! Singapore started polling visitors to its main page on Tuesday, on what they felt about paying for plastic bags when shopping for groceries. As of 8.30pm yesterday, 2,900 people participated in the ballot. A majority of 985 votes went for "Pay for plastic bags? Never!" from the five options. It was a close call between the other four options, with 17 per cent in favour of using paper bags. A similar number backed a suggestion that supermarkets give the first few bags for free but make the customer pay for bags he/she would need over and above that. Sixteen per cent of respondents felt that retailers should give reusable bags as a promotional gift and 15 per cent agreed that charging for plastic bags is "a good way to make Singaporeans green conscious". When contacted, a spokesman for Yahoo! Singapore said its online polls are intended to cull public opinion. "This plastic bag poll came about because we believe it is a topic which interests Singaporeans. We want to give our users an opportunity to express their views on current issues or topical areas of interest which affect Singapore." The plastic bag movement is also striking a chord with the youth. As part of their Project Work component which is used for admission to university, four Nanyang Junior College students are studying how a plastic bag levy in Singapore would help reduce the wastage. . They plan to identify the laws implemented in countries such as Australia and explore ways to adapt similar practices in Singapore. The debate on how to curb Singapore's increasing plastic bag usage was sparked by a Today news comment in April highlighting the billions of bags being consumed here each year. And in a Weekend Today report published earlier this month, four out of five Singaporeans said, if given the choice, they would not pay a nominal fee of 5 cents for a plastic bag. More than eight out of 10 surveyed felt that Singaporeans in general were apathetic about saving the environment. Yet, when caught between a rock and a hard place, many felt a nationwide ban or charging for plastic bags was the way forward. One possible solution being discussed is the possibility of a "waste tax". As in such as Ireland, customers would have to pay a levy for every plastic bag they receive while shopping. Those who bring their own bags are exempted from the tax. Rather than going into retailers' pockets, the money would be used for "green" efforts such as boosting recycling facilities and funding public education programmes. But the National Environment Agency (NEA), seen as a frontrunner to impose such a tax, told Today it is keeping its options open. A spokesman said that it is studying ways to cut down on the excessive use of plastic bags here. Some methods being examined include rebates for shoppers who take along their own bags and banning the use of plastic bags altogether. In an earlier response to Today's queries, the NEA said it is continuing to encourage more "green" consumers here to raise their concerns when they go shopping with their own bags. Businesses here are likely to react positively to such changes in consumer attitudes, the spokesperson added. But the idea of a "waste tax" already has one supporter in the Singapore Environment Council's industry project manager, Mr Yatin Premchand. "It's an interesting and refreshing solution. Singaporeans do look at their wallets, so this could help influence a change in their attitude." Still, public education had to remain a key focus of the Government and industry stakeholders, he said. "And that's where the tax money will come in useful." links Related articles on Singapore: plastic bags More articles on Singapore: general environmental issues |
| News articles are reproduced for non-profit educational purposes. | |
website©ria tan 2003 www.wildsingapore.com |