GOVERNMENTS NUDGING INDIVIDUALS to BYO
Consumer behavior can be influenced by policies such as bans and levies. The realization is spreading to all governments. On March 2, the United Nations created the first global treaty to eliminate plastic pollution. It called it the most important environmental agreement since the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
After years of public and legislative debate on ways to reduce plastic bag usage, large supermarkets in Singapore will begin charging 5 cents per disposable carrier bag.
The idea is to get consumers to bring reusable bags with them on grocery runs, while not completely eliminating disposable carriers.
Others have gone further. Although plastic bags have been banned in Thailand’s supermarkets and departmental stores since 2020, they are still being used by other vendors. China and Australia have also banned single-use plastic straws.
However, nationwide measures are only one part of the solution. It might be difficult to reach a consensus among different industries and the public.
BUSINESSES MAKE BYO MORE CONVENIENT
Businesses are the most important factor in encouraging people to bring their own bags. Zero Waste SG (a non-governmental organization) reports that more than 1,000 local retail outlets offer BYO incentives. For example, some cafes will offer customers a 50 cent discount on their orders.
These small incentives might not be enough to encourage customers to pack their reusables before they leave the house. Cardiff University’s 2016 study found that disposable cups were more popular than disposable cups by 3.4% when there was a 25-pence charge (S$0.40). A discount did not have any effect.
The study author suggested that a surcharge would be more effective than an incentiv because people are more sensitive than they are to gains when making decisions.
