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Charges for disposable carrier bags at major supermarkets are expected to be implemented from mid-2023 onwards.

Legislative amendments to address packaging and food waste were proposed in the Feb. 6 parliamentary sitting.

Legislative frameworks for three measures

The amendments, introduced under the Resource Sustainability (Amendment) Bill which was read for the first time in Parliament today, propose legislative frameworks for three measures: a disposable carrier bag charge, a beverage container return scheme, and a food waste reporting framework.

Disposable carrier bag charge

According to a joint statement by the National Environmental Agency (NEA) and the Ministry for Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) on Feb. 6, the disposable carrier bag charge will apply to bags of all material types.

This charge will come into effect mid-2023 to "nudge consumers to shift towards the more sustainable habits of using reusable bags".

Large supermarket operators with an annual turnover of over S$100 million will be required to charge a minimum of five cents per disposable carrier bag provided to shoppers at their physical stores.

This includes two-thirds of all supermarket outlets in Singapore, including those under NTUC FairPrice, Cold Storage, Giant, Sheng Siong and Prime supermarket outlets.

Small supermarket operators with an annual turnover of less than S$100 million are "encouraged to voluntarily implement their own bag charges".

NEA and MSE said that the charge is kept low to "moderate the cost impact on shoppers", while encouraging them to be mindful of their disposable carrier bags usage.

To ensure accountability and transparency, supermarket operators will be required to publish information on the number of bags issued, amount of proceeds received from the charge, and how the proceeds are used.

"As the public will continue to have access to disposable bags from other sources, the responsible practice of bagging waste before disposal should continue", the government bodies said in the joint statement.

The disposable carrier bags charge was first announced by Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu during the Committee of Supply debates in Mar. 2022.

Beverage container return scheme

Under the beverage container return scheme, a small deposit will be applied to all metal and plastic beverage containers for all pre-packaged beverages.

Consumers will receive a refund on the deposit when they return eligible empty beverage containers to designated return points.

By encouraging consumers to return empty beverage containers, NEA and MSE noted in the joint statement that the scheme will increase the recycling rate beverage containers.

It will also contribute to zero waste efforts and support the development of Singapore's recycling industry.

In the current version of the Bill, provisions are included which allow the Minister to prescribe any logo, marking or text to indicate the eligibility of a beverage container under the scheme.

Previously, consultations carried out by NEA with members of the public found that 10 cents to 20 cents would be a reasonable range for the deposit amount.

Food waste reporting

Owners or operators of industrial and commercial buildings, which typically generate large amounts of food waste, are already required to segregate their food waste from 2024.

To complement this, NEA and MSE said that the amendments introduced will require them to measure and report the amount of food waste they have segregated for treatment.

Measures will help achieve national targets

The legislative frameworks enabled by the amendments will contribute towards the national targets under the Singapore Green Plan 2030 and Zero Waste Masterplan, NEA and MSE said.

Particularly, they will help work towards the goal of reducing the amount of waste sent to the landfill per capita per day by 30 per cent.

They will also help attain the goal of increasing the national recycling rate to 70 per cent by 2030.

In 2021, Singapore generated 982,000 tonnes of plastic waste, of which only 6 per cent was recycled.

Food waste weighed in at 817,000 tonnes, of which only 19 per cent was recycled.

The second reading of the Bill will take place at the next available sitting on or after Mar. 20, 2023, according to the Parliament website.

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