MELAKA: People in Melaka have responded positively to the state’s initiative to implement ‘No Plastic Bag Day’ every day from next year.
Yayasan Melaka general manager Datuk Zaini Md Nor said the move would play an important role in reducing the usage of plastic which was hazardous to the environment.
He said the initiative to stop using plastic bags should not only be taken up by supermarkets but also grocery stores and ‘pasar malam’ (night market) traders, adding that he was confident that the initiative would encourage more people to bring their own shopping bags.
Zaini, who is the former chief executive officer of Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation, suggested that business outlets provide incentives in the form of rewards or discounts to those who used their own bags for shopping.
“Actually, we should minimise or stop offering plastic bags at 20 sen each as is being practised now because the objective is to reduce unnecessary waste materials, especially in the form of plastic,” he said.
Consumer activist Muhammad Sha’ani Abdullah said the public should understand the main objective of the initiative, which was to reduce wastage, and using alternatives such as paper bags did not serve the purpose.
“I totally agree with the implementation of this campaign, but I do not encourage the replacement of plastic bags with paper bags because besides adding to wastage, this would also cause other environmental issues such as increased logging,” said the member of the board of trustees at the National Consumer Complaints Centre.
Muhammad Sha’ani said besides supermarkets and grocers, factory owners in the state should also play a role in the campaign by reducing packaging material, especially made of plastic. — Bernama