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  Straits Times Forum 26 Apr 07
Biodegradable bags don't help to cut waste generation
Letter from Ong Seng Eng Head Resource Conservation Department
National Environment Agency

Straits Times Forum 27 Apr 07
Oxo-biodegradable bags don't meet Europe standards
Letter from Craig J. Dimmick General Manager Biostarch Technology Pte Ltd

Straits Times Forum 24 Apr 07
Bring back brown paper bags of yore
Letter from Andrew Seow Chwee Guan

Straits Times Forum 24 Apr 07
All Ikea plastic bags are oxo-biodegradable
Letter from Philip Wee General Manager Ikea Singapore

Straits Times Forum 23 Apr 07
Retailers, make plastic bags biodegradable
Letter from Grace Tan Hwee Neo (Ms)

IT IS good that some shops and supermarkets are promoting the discriminate use of plastic bags. But if no waterproof and disposable alternative to the plastic bag is available, most people will simply revert to the convenience of plastic bags, even if they have to pay or bring it with them when they shop.

A suitable alternative is a biodegradable 'plastic' bag I saw at the Eco-products International Fair at Suntec City in October last year. It looks and feels like a thick plastic bag, but it is made from tapioca and biodegrades when wet or exposed to the sun.

I am surprised this company has not promoted its product here.

To Ikea and FairPrice, if we have to pay for plastic bags, make them biodegradable.

Straits Times Forum 24 Apr 07
All Ikea plastic bags are oxo-biodegradable
Letter from Philip Wee General Manager Ikea Singapore

I REFER to Ms Grace Tan Hwee Neo's letter, 'Retailers, make plastic bags biodegradable' (ST, April 23).

We thank Ms Tan for her suggestion and are happy to share that all Ikea plastic bags are oxo-biodegradable. These are now charged at a nominal price of five or 10 cents, depending on the size of the bag.

Oxo-biodegradable bags biodegrade and can be composted but they do not need to be buried in a compost heap or landfill in order to degrade. They will degrade in a normal environment.

Despite this, there are many good reasons to reduce the use of plastic bags and we continue to encourage Singaporeans to say 'no' to plastic bags and to make it a habit to take a bag or two whenever they go shopping, be it at the Ikea store or any other store.

Straits Times Forum 24 Apr 07
Bring back brown paper bags of yore
Letter from Andrew Seow Chwee Guan

I REFER to the 'Bring Your Own Bag' campaign at participating supermarkets.

As expected, some shoppers baulked at having to fork out 10 cents for a plastic bag for they felt that the supermarkets had already factored the cost into the price of their products.

In the 1960s there were only two supermarkets along Orchard Road, namely, Cold Storage and Fitzpatrick's. They provided durable and sturdy brown paper bags which were capable of withstanding heavy items such as canned products and bottled drinks.

Perhaps supermarkets would consider introducing such bags which could have cut-outs at the top to serve as handles, for the convenience of shoppers. As corporate citizens, supermarkets should explore viable alternatives which are equitable to both businesses and consumers.

It is not practical to totally eliminate plastic bags as they still serve some useful purposes, like holding food waste, garbage and wet items.

At the same time there is still a need to educate the uninitiated that plastic bags wreak environmental havoc in the long term. These include: Clogging gutters, drains and sewerage systems. Choking farm animals and marine life. Contaminating soil as they degrade into tiny toxic particles that absorb concentrated amounts of dangerous compounds. Littering streets, parks and beaches.

Let us all do our part to save this earth.

Straits Times Forum 27 Apr 07
Oxo-biodegradable bags don't meet Europe standards
Letter from Craig J. Dimmick General Manager Biostarch Technology Pte Ltd

I REFER to Mr Philip Wee's letter, 'All Ikea plastic bags are oxo-biodegradable' (ST, April 24).

We laud Ikea for being proactive in seeking a solution to the plastic-bag problem. However, consumers should be aware of some facts regarding 'oxo-biodegradable' bags.

According to the International Biodegradable Polymers Association and Working Group in Berlin, no polyethylene-additive product - such as oxo-biodegradable bags - meets the European standards for biodegradability and compostability.

Additives are used in the manufacturing process which promote the breaking down of the bag material into small particles. Those additives are typically toxic metals. Furthermore, once broken down into small particles the polyethylene still does not biodegrade and remains in the environment, like any other plastic product.

The only long-term solution to the environmental problems associated with plastic bags is to eliminate petroleum-based ingredients, such as polyethylene. Our company manufactures petroleum-free bags that fully meet the European and Australian standards for biodegradability and compostability.

Consumer education is important because the stakes are high and some claims being made about biodegradable products are confusing.

Straits Times Forum 26 Apr 07
Biodegradable bags don't help to cut waste generation
Letter from Ong Seng Eng Head Resource Conservation Department
National Environment Agency

I REFER to the letter by Ms Grace Tan, 'Retailers, make plastic bags biodegradable' (ST, April 23).


Singaporeans use some 2.5 billion single-use plastic bags each year. Many of these bags are re-used to bag household refuse, a good hygiene practice.

However, despite this level of reuse, many bags are still thrown away directly, constituting a waste of resources and generating waste unnecessarily.

It is to address this problem that a working group comprising the National Environment Agency (NEA), the Singapore Environment Council and major retailers such as Carrefour, Cold Storage, Giant, NTUC FairPrice, Prime Supermarket, Sheng Siong and Shop N Save came together to launch the 'Why waste plastic bags? Choose reusable bags!' campaign in February last year.

The campaign's aim is to urge the public to take only enough plastic bags, and to use reusable bags as often as possible. It does not suggest that the public should switch over to alternative single-use bags, such as biodegradable plastic or paper ones.

These single-use alternatives do not help to cut waste generation. Moreover, paper bags are unsuitable for bagging refuse as they can be weakened by the substantial moisture in typical household refuse.

The monthly Bring Your Own Bag Day (BYOBD) campaign serves to remind shoppers to use reusable bags, which can be purchased at low cost, as far as possible.

Under the National Recycling Programme, households are provided with either recycling bags or dedicated bins to facilitate storage of recyclable items such as paper, metal cans, drink cartons and old clothing. These recyclables are collected door-to-door once every fortnight.

NEA is now installing centralised recycling bins in all HDB estates. Once fully rolled out by the end of this year, there will be a set of centralised bins for every five blocks of flats. With that in place, HDB residents will not need to walk more than 150m to recycle.

Complementing these centralised bins is a network of public recycling bins placed at high-traffic areas such as MRT stations and shopping areas. Information provided on the bins would include a hotline number and easily-recognised symbols of the types of waste that are accepted for recycling.
links
Bring Your Own Bag Day on the NEA website

Related articles about Singapore: plastic bags efforts to reduce use of plastic bags, issues, discussions
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