http://www.deadpris.com/2008/03/13/plastic-bags-are-bad-list-of-resources/

Paper are just as bad as plastic bags, for different causes, but same reason. Bags are bad for environment.

I believe paper bags might cause a greater environmental issue.

First of all, paper is make of trees, which, by increasing the consumption, will worsen deforestation.

Secondly, paper bags cannot be reused like plastic bags.

And paper bags are more expensive than plastic bags too.

If they really change all the plastic bags in supermarket to paper bags, I would rather bring my own bags.

Another problem is that asking the customer whether he/she requires a bag is so routine that sellers ask for the sake of it. People can ask me if I need a bag for a G2 pen.

What in the green name of Mother Earth for??

Sometimes I thankfully decline and sometimes I’m annoyed at their lack of cranial processing. And then you give me a bag also those kind with no handles, for fiak you tell me?

And so sales staff need to be educated on this. That’s even assuming companies are made aware of such a problem. An idea for you and your folks Adrian.

Also, someone tell me what’s so difficult about switching grocery bags to paper. Wet markets warrant plastic bags because of exposed fresh meat, but in supermarkets everything is sealed or wrapped. There may be large costs that I’m unaware of. Can someone explain those costs if there are?

Like Miss Loi mentioned, at least the bags serve some purpose and adam, like most of us, re-use the bags as trash bag which, imo, does better than getting new trash bags.

No doubt BYOB is a good attempt, but to ensure everyone practices it, boy I’m not too sure.

Plastic bags at least serve some purpose.

firstly, tragedy of commons(u can try to wiki it). hence, it is not so much of wat the plastic bag can do. but wat i could potentially impact after the creation of plastic bag. when more finite resources are channelled to be made into plastic bags for small chocolate bars, so wat happens to PVC pipes, plastic toilet seats, or even plastic for other hyigene-orientated products? so the main issue is the scarcity of resources as well as the aftermath of the usage. i would think that the scarcity is a hot topic as of world today, where daily increase in oil prices are part of life. (sob sob for all drivers out there) scarcity drives the raising cost in many areas and leaving other areas without resources. hence we should be concerned about where these limited resources are being invested into.

secondly, i do like to think that using less is always using one too many. imagine simple analogy of 10 person using 1 plastic bag and 1 person using 3 plastic bag. hope the example is self-explanatory. i doubt there is also one specific number that everyone has to use, in order to be env-friendly. however, when hygiene and other life-sustaining practices, which makes use of large amount of plastics, is compromised, i will beg to differ my point of view.

thirdly, in regards of the target of the charge. i think it was meant to be left as “each plastic bag charged over the cashier”(not direct quote). for reasons that i think others have pointed out that, it would require really nitty-gritty accounting and enforcement. since their point is to have an overall reduction in plastic consumption and (i think)awareness as well, the current system seems alrite.

fourthly, since we are into no interference into free market then why are we draggin gahmen into it? y should the gahmen fund the private business for such a move? it should then be the responsibility of the private business owners to wanna reduce plastic consumption. for reason of save cost for the purchase of plastic bags. although this is not a large amount, but it saves up on shop space, where shop space is everything for brick-and-motar shops. i doubt you will ask gahmen for help, when u are broke or bf-less/gf-less or when ppl bully you. there are things in life which requires own creativity and effor in order to see past our present inabilities and doubts.

lastly, as mentioned by tstar, there are always those who wont do it no matter wat. and there will always be ppl who doesnt wanna change and complain about change, so theres no helping it. it would be a job left for the organizers to ponder upon.

thanks for letting me share my 2cents. any more 2cents? so that we can combine and buy a plastic bag from nanyang supermarket.

As for schools, I think it’s quite ok to actually charge there because I believe we don’t really spend a lot in the bookshops, so the plastic bags we get from there to use for bins is minimal. It’s just that whenever we spend, we get plastic bags, whether or not we need it. In a way I believe this scheme is a way to raise more awareness to the student population and kind of drill it into their heads, make ppl more aware of the idea of recycling. Sometimes I think that if there are too many things, the bookshop should perhaps be a little more lenient. Afterall, we can’t bring plastic bags around with us wherever we go. Impulse buys sometimes do happen… But if only the rebate thing is brought into school bookshops, I think that’s more efficient.

If only everyone is as concerned about the environment. I’ve told my mother repeatedly to bring that resuable bag we have in the house but she always gets a plastic bag from NTUC anyway, regardless of whether she needs it. And she doesn’t believe in recycling.

>> I agree, but this would only result in general public unhappiness, and people will start doing what they do best: Complain.

Adam said: “where does the fund for immediate discount come from? Will it be by per transaction or per item? or by amount spent in the shop?”

>> I think the simplest and most straightforward way would be to give discounts on total amount spent in the shop.

If the government really wants this to work out, they should give funding to supermarkets and shops for doing this. The amount paid out to consumers for saying no to plastic bags, can then be claimed from the Ministry of Environment at the end of every month, but of course, there should be receipts and reports to show how much has been paid out. It’s a simple transaction, really, to provide an overall rebate to each bill.

After all plastic bags are produced as a petrochemical product and those processes are rather polluting.

I believe the main point, which daphne brought up, is that we should use such plastic bags wisely and if we can help it, not use them at all.

If you look at it from an economics point of view, one of the best ways to reduce plastic consumption is to really hit the consumers where it hurts, their own pockets. But that is another point to debate on.