More to saving the earth than singling out use of grocery plastic bags

SINGLE-USE plastic bags have come under the spotlight lately as more and more Singaporeans are starting to take a vocal stance against environmentally unfriendly products.

Many have sought to put a stop to their use here, joining more than 60 countries that have banned or imposed levies on single-use grocery bags. They are a part of the global awakening to the dangers of plastic pollution, fed by social-media images of animals suffocated by plastics, best epitomised by the picture of a bird whose beak had been sealed shut by a plastic ring.

However, the call for a total ban has to be tempered by considering unique factors in individual jurisdictions rather than a blanket adoption across the board; measures that make sense in other countries may be less applicable to Singapore.Bagging trash in supermarket plastic bags has solved a waste-disposal problem for our population, 90 per cent of whom live in high-rise buildings.