Malaysians Continue to Rely on Plastic Bags
Picture source: The Star
By Loshinniy Nair Baskaran
KUALA LUMPUR, MAY 29 – According to a survey, the effort to charge buyers 20 cents for each plastic bag has done little to decrease single-use plastics, and figures reveal that plastic waste continues to dominate landfills in various parts of the country. Consumers’ reliance on plastics is the primary reason they are willing to pay the 20 cents fee imposed by stores on each plastic bag rather than bringing their own recyclable bags.
This is obvious in Selangor, which in 2017 became one of the first few states to charge customers for the use of plastic bags after the government launched campaigns and implemented initiatives to discourage the use of single-use plastics. Selangor collected a comparatively large sum of RM6.6mil from the levy imposed on plastic bags in 2020, and the amount increased to RM8.5mil in 2021. The collection totalled RM4.8 million in the first six months of 2022.With shoppers willing to pay the 20 cents fee, the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change faces an uphill battle to eliminate the usage of plastic bags.
Bernama conducted a recent random survey of various stores, food outlets, and other company premises and discovered that when it came to selling and packaging food items, traders and consumers preferred the usage of light, sturdy, and inexpensive plastic bags.
Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/06/07/too-many-malaysians-still-love-their-plastic-bags
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