'Bring Your Own Bag' scheme isn't working as it should
I WAS appalled by the sheer amount of plastic bags used for bagging groceries when I visited my neighbourhood FairPrice recently.
FairPrice has a rebate programme called 'Bring Your Own Bag', where shoppers who use their own shopping bags get a 10-cent rebate. However, this programme is a superficial reflection of FairPrice's commitment to environmental friendliness.
Shoppers receive the rebate only if their total purchase exceeds $10, and the 10-cent incentive is not enough to motivate shoppers to bring their own bags.
Sometimes, the cashiers themselves forget to key in the rebate.
A better solution is to charge shoppers for the number of plastic bags used. This makes shoppers feel the pinch of obtaining plastic bags for purchases that sometimes can simply be packed in their own bags.
Admittedly, tossing groceries into plastic bags is a faster way of bagging as compared to packing them neatly into shoppers' personal bags.
To prevent long queues at the payment counters, separate counters can be set up nearby where customers can pack their groceries into their own shopping bags after payment.
The drive to bring one's own bag to the supermarket has been in existence for quite some time with many event organisers giving out free "eco-friendly bags".
It is, however, ironic that while many people possess these eco-bags, they find it a hassle to use them for grocery shopping.
I hope FairPrice will pave the way for greener lifestyles.
Cheong Shu Min (Miss)
http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_720903.html
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13Oct2011: ST forum: 'Bring Your Own Bag' scheme isn't working as it should
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