Over 90% of customers bring own bags after 5-cent fee enacted: Poll

Correspondent More than 90 per cent of customers have brought their own reusable bags for grocery shopping since the minimum five-cent charge for disposable bags at supermarket chains was implemented more than a year ago, a recent survey by the National Environment Agency (NEA) found.

- Lee Li Ying

This is an "encouraging" change, up from 61 per cent who brought their own bags before the disposable carrier bag charge was made mandatory at larger supermarket operators, said Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor on Aug 30 at the opening of a new FairPrice outlet at City Square Mall.

In addition, supermarket operators have reported a 70 per cent to 80 per cent drop in the number of disposable carrier bags provided since the charge was implemented, Dr Khor added.

FairPrice saw a reduction of about 77 per cent in the number of disposable carrier bags it issued. In the second half of 2023, FairPrice provided about 142 million fewer disposable carrier bags, compared with the same period in 2022.