Shoppers must pay at least 5 cents per disposable carrier bag from mid-2023 at all major supermarkets
Shoppers will have to pay at least five cents for each plastic bag they take at major supermarkets from mid-2023.
SINGAPORE — Shoppers at any of the major supermarket chains here can expect to pay at least five cents for each disposable bag, regardless of material, they take from around the middle of next year.
The charge, which will be determined by supermarket operators, will be applied only at supermarkets run by operators with an annual turnover of more than S$100 million.
This means that the fee will be applied at about two-thirds of all supermarkets in Singapore including NTUC FairPrice, Sheng Siong, Prime, Cold Storage and Giant.
As the intention is to encourage people to reduce their usage of all kinds of disposable carrier bags, a fee will be applied for all materials.
Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, who announced this in Parliament during her ministry’s Committee of Supply debate on Monday (March 7), said that this initiative will hopefully "encourage Singaporeans to adopt sustainable habits and bring our own bags when shopping at supermarkets and other stores".
To ensure accountability, Ms Fu said supermarket operators will be required to publish information on the number of bags issued, the corresponding proceeds received and how the proceeds are used.
