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Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment
Parliament Q&A

Oral Reply to Parliamentary Question on imposing charge on small disposable carrier bags

1 March 2024

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Oral Reply to Parliamentary Question on imposing charge on small disposable carrier bags by Mr Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and the Environment

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the Ministry will consider imposing a charge for small disposable carrier bags; (b) how many companies have voluntarily introduced their own disposable bag charge; and (c) if the data is not available, whether the Ministry will start collecting the data.

Answer:

1 The mandatory disposable carrier bag charge at larger supermarkets was implemented on 3 July 2023. My Ministry and the National Environment Agency (NEA) will monitor the effectiveness of the bag charge and review its impact upon the completion of the first full year of implementation. The charge applies to all disposable carrier bags, regardless of size.

2 Other retailers have the prerogative to decide whether to charge for disposable bags, and many have been doing so. MSE and NEA do not track retailers that have voluntarily implemented disposable carrier bag charges and have no plans to do so. Nonetheless, we are heartened that many major retailers, including convenience stores, have voluntarily implemented charges.