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  Straits Times Forum 4 Nov 06
'Spot the green shopper' contest to cut waste
Letter from Vincent Teo Chief Engineer, Resource Conservation Department
National Environment Agency

Straits Times Forum 3 Nov 06
Many plastic materials emit poisonous dioxins when incinerated
Letter from Shakib Gunn

Straits Times Forum 3 Nov 06
Get rid of plastic bags? Better to recycle them
Letter from Lum Yew Wai

Straits Times Forum 31 Oct 06
Educate users to promote recycling, don't tax them
Letter from Nelly Yanty (Ms)

Straits Times Forum 31 Oct 06
Make customers pay to cut down use and save the earth
Letter from Phillip Ang Keng Hong

THE suggestion to levy a tax for the use of plastic bags should be implemented by the government soon.

I refer to the article 'Cut use of plastic bags? Levy tax on users' by Peh Shing Hui on Oct 27.

There has been a lot of talk about reducing the use of plastic bags and many initiatives have been taken by supermarket chains on this but little has been achieved.

Any other move to encourage the use of recycleable bags will also fail because the use of plastic bags and other plastic products, without any consideration for serious environmental damage, is a national habit that is almost impossible to change.

Whether it is the neighbourhood minimart or the big supermarket chains, most customers will insist on using plastic bags even for small items. This can also be observed at the shopping malls every day.

A tax levied on plastic bags is in line with pay-as-you-use schemes such as the GST, ERP and so on.

Despite much publicity, there is still widespread public ignorance of the huge environmental costs associated with plastic bag usage. Since all the efforts at weaning Singaporeans off the dependence on plastic bags have produced miserable results, it is time we gave legislation a chance.

Straits Times Forum 31 Oct 06
Educate users to promote recycling, don't tax them
Letter from Nelly Yanty (Ms)

I REFER to the article 'Cut use of plastic bags? Levy tax on users' (ST, Oct 27).

I am a supporter of recycling and cutting down the usage of the world's resources. We recycle our water to water the plants. We recycle our cans, bottles and so on.

However, I do not agree with the suggestion to impose a tax on using plastic bags. In fact, I recycle every plastic bag that I bring back with my purchases. They are reused as garbage bags, which I tie up before throwing them into the refuse bin.

I have been practising this for years as I sympathise with the cleaners who have to clear with their hands the rubbish that are not bagged. This practice is encouraged by the National Environment Agency as it prevents the spread of germs and pests.

Imposing a tax on users of plastic bags will be a double blow as we would have to fork out money to buy our own garbage bags. It will also result in more production of garbage bags as demand for them increases.

Ultimately, educating the users should still be our priority. It may be a slower method but it is a solution to the problem.

Straits Times Forum 3 Nov 06
Get rid of plastic bags? Better to recycle them
Letter from Lum Yew Wai

MR PHILLIP Ang Keng Hong in his letter, 'Make customers pay to cut down use and save the earth' (ST, Oct 31), clamours for legislation as the ultimate solution to 'weaning Singaporeans off the dependence on plastic bags'.

I doubt if he does much shopping for his family. Or perhaps he and his family eat out on a daily or regular basis?

My wife and I shop regularly for groceries at supermarkets. It is an onerous chore, but necessary if we want to feed the family on healthy homecooked meals as opposed to eating out at hawker centres and food courts, not to mention restaurants, on a regular basis.

Needless to add, a homecooked meal also costs considerably less than food at these outlets. Our regular supermarket shopping is usually by the cartload.

So the imposition of a charge for plastic bags would be unfair to shoppers like us (and there are many like us), for how are we supposed to bring our groceries home on such a scale?

Mr Ang may also like to know that we make good use of the plastic bags subsequently. We throw none away, but recycle them as receptacles for kitchen waste and leftovers.

Without plastic bags, imagine the odour and insect infestation if even a small percentage of households dump their kitchen waste and leftovers directly down the chute without enclosing them in a bag.

Imagine the impact on the living environment and tasks made more difficult for both cleaners and garbage collection trucks.

One cannot disagree with the need to care for the environment, but solutions offered must be practical, rational, creative and well thought-out, and not spawn new problems or aggravate existing ones.

It is a cop-out to 'solve' this by making rules, rules and even more rules.

For instance, has anyone looked into the use of biodegradeable materials for bags? Or, instead of making shoppers pay, how about offering them a choice of a discount if they agree to do without plastic bags? Shoppers who agree are likely to come prepared.

Straits Times Forum 3 Nov 06
Many plastic materials emit poisonous dioxins when incinerated
Letter from Shakib Gunn

I REFER to the two enlightening letters, 'Make customers pay to cut down use and save the earth' by Mr Phillip Ang Keng Hong and 'Educate users to promote recycling, don't tax them' by Ms Nelly Yanty (ST, Oct 31).

Many forms of non-biodegradable plastic packing material, including styrofoam, emit dioxins when incinerated. They should be eliminated progressively from our planet, starting with the common plastic shopping bag.

What effect has educating customers had?

Imposing a tax on bags will penalise the poor at the expense of the rich. Nothing less than a total withdrawal of non-biodegradable shopping bags may have real impact.

Simply ban their production and distribution. Years ago, we had no plastic bags to carry groceries in, yet we managed.

For disposal of household waste, let the Ministry of the Environment tell us what it recommends. Speed up research and production of biodegradable materials, including food containers, and set a date for their introduction.

Who will pay? Why, we consumers, of course. And don't stop at the retail level, move on to the health-care, manufacturing, hospitality and transport sectors as well. It will be good to know what plans the Government has in this regard.

Straits Times Forum 4 Nov 06
'Spot the green shopper' contest to cut waste
Letter from Vincent Teo Chief Engineer, Resource Conservation Department
National Environment Agency

WE REFER to Ms Nelly Yanty's letter 'Educate users to promote recycling' (ST, Oct 31). We thank Ms Nelly for supporting the National Recycling Programme and are heartened to hear of her pro-environment efforts to reduce waste.

We agree with her that reusing plastic carrier bags to put refuse is a good and hygienic practice.

Unfortunately, there are some shoppers who take more bags than they need and then throw them away. This is a wasteful practice that should be curbed.

Recognising the need to educate and persuade shoppers to cut down on wastage of plastic bags, the National Environment Agency, together with the Singapore Environment Council and major supermarkets launched the 'Why waste plastic bags? Use reusable bags!' campaign in February this year.

Cashiers at major supermarkets were trained to pack more purchases into each bag and ask customers if they needed bags for small purchases. Reusable bags were put on sale at affordable prices and advertisements were run in newspapers to remind shoppers to use reusable bags.

We agree with Ms Nelly that the key to cutting down the unnecessary usage of plastic bags is education.

To this end, as part of our ongoing efforts, we are holding a 'Spot the Green Shoppers' contest this month to encourage everyone to bring their own reusable bags for their supermarket purchases.

Shoppers who are spotted with the reusable bags stand a chance to win shopping vouchers if they are spotted by our roving camera teams.

With the launch of Clean and Green Week tomorrow, we hope that everyone will participate actively in the upcoming programmes and make the 3Rs - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - an integral part of their lives.
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