THE concerns with plastic bags relate to them being sent to
landfills where they can pollute the environment ("Charge a fee for
plastic bags"; Jan 14).
In Singapore, plastic bags are sent to our waste-to-energy
plants for incineration, rather than to our landfill.
Notwithstanding this, as part of its 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)
efforts, the National Environment Agency currently encourages the
public and community to reduce their packaging waste as well as
reuse items that are reusable.
Retailers such as NTUC FairPrice and Ikea have also implemented
their own schemes to encourage the use of customers' own bags or
discourage the overuse of plastic bags. We would encourage more
organisations to step forward to adopt more environmentally
friendly practices rather than making it mandatory to charge a fee
for plastic bags.
Low Fong Hon
Director
Waste and Resource Management Department
National Environment Agency