PETALING JAYA: Merchants are all for cutting down on the use of plastic bags, but consumers must also be taught not to insist on having them, says the Federation of Hawkers and Traders Associations of Malaysia.
Its president Datuk Seri Rosli Sulaiman said this message should be consistently shared with the public.
“So instead of banning the use of plastic bags only on certain days, it should be done every day,” he said.
This, he said, would help train consumers to reduce waste and start bringing their own bags.
He said this in reference to the Selangor government’s plan to extend plastic bag-free day this year from just one day currently to three days.
Selangor public health and environment committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin told the state assembly last month that the state government intends to ban the use of plastic bags from Fridays to Sundays at business premises in the state from this year.
This would be an extension of its “no plastic bag day” on Saturdays.
Rosli, when contacted, said the move had been effective at some major supermarkets, which charges consumers for plastic bags.
He suggested that incentives be given to traders to make cheaper biodegradable containers and bags.
Checks on several marketplaces found that a regular plastic bag costs about RM25 for a bundle of 80 pieces while a biodegradable one would cost twice as much.
YK Wong, who runs his father’s mini market in Sekinchan, Selangor, said the ban is a good move to protect the environment.
Unfortunately, he said some customers do not realise this.
“Many of those who come to our shop on a no-plastic day do not bring their own bags. They insist that we provide them with plastic bags.
“So, we have no choice but to do so,’’ he added.
Wong said he would not mind replacing plastic bags with paper bags if the price is the same as plastic bags.
“But cheap paper bags are not easily available,’’ he said.
Satay restaurant supervisor Muhammad Syarafiq Samad is supportive of the move to introduce a longer ban on plastic usage as long as customers are well informed.
However, he cautioned that customers could face an increase in costs if plastic bags are banned totally, as business owners would look at other alternatives.
“It’s cheaper to use plastic bags. If we shift to paper bags, there may be an increase in cost,” he said.
Currently, Muhammad Syarafiq said his restaurant does not impose any extra charges for plastic packaging.
“Some customers would then use the plastic bags over and over again,” he said.
Petty trader K. Kamalanathan said there has yet to be any order from the city council about the ban, adding that he is supportive of it.
He said many of his customers are already bringing their own reusable bags when they patronise his shop in Section 17 here.
“I would say that people have better awareness now about reusable bags,” he added.
Nasi kandar restaurant operator Mohammad Adib Mohd Khairi, however, has a differing view on the ban.
He said that using plastic bags for packing foods is a safer and more economical way for business owners, compared to using other alternatives such as paper bags.
“Food with gravy is harder to pack with paper-based packaging as it will affect the food quality and safety,” he said.
However, he said the customers at his restaurant are free to use their own containers for takeaways.
It has been reported that the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry is considering a nationwide ban on single-use plastic bags by next year.
