Should retailers charge us for the use of plastic bags?

Ikea has started to charge its customers in Singapore for plastic bags on 22 April 2007. NTUC had also introduced the “Bring Your Bag Day” every first Wednesday of the month. These are efforts made to conserve our resources, in response to the over consumption of plastic bags last year. Some had protested to the act, thinking that it’s unjustifiable for us to pay for the plastic bags that advertise for them. However, some feel that this is very meaningful and cooperate fully, buying reusable bags.

Firstly, I feel that this brave decision of Ikea is commendable. It is the first shops in Singapore to charge for the plastic bags. I hope other companies will follow suit. This way, Singaporeans will get used to bringing their own bag around and hence reduce the plastic bag consumption rate. This is going to be beneficial to the environment as time goes by, it will soon become a habit for people to shop without expecting plastic bags.

Secondly, there can also be an alternative way; that is to use bio-degradable plastic bags. It will then save our environment too, at the same time, consumers will not complain. However, I feel that there may be a problem to this. It will not address the problem of wasting resources. Many grab plastic bags not because they need it, but because they feel that it should come along with the products they’ve bought. People will continue to take it for granted and waste it like nobody’s business.

Well, people can object n say, “Why should we pay to advertise for the company?” Good question. So what can the company do? For example, Ikea had responded by donating all the money collected to the World Wide Fund for Nature. They are not profiteering. People have to understand that this is an action done to conserve our resources and save the Earth. We cannot take this kind of minor things for granted.

In a nutshell, I would say that it is justifiable for retailers to charge people for their plastic bags, in the interest of the environment.