We think it’s time for MEWR and NEA to look seriously into policies and regulations to reduce plastic disposables. What are the government’s plans and targets to reduce (or phase out) the use of plastic disposables over time?
Here’s some suggestions:
1) Expand the role and framework of the current Singapore Packaging Agreement to include plastic disposables, or set up a similar Governing Board or committee to look into plastic disposables holistically.
2) Engage and consult with the 3P (People, Private and Public) sectors to identify the key disposable plastics that should be phased out over time. Set a timeline on the eventual ban of those key plastic items but allow time for the industry and retailers to switch to more environmentally friendly alternatives.
3) Provide more data and info on the greener alternatives to plastic disposables such as comparison of environmental impacts and costs in the local context. Provide incentives and guidelines to help retailers switch to greener alternatives. Consumers and businesses must be given the right info and help to make the right choice.
What do you think? Share your thoughts with us!
Good ideas!
I think we need to have a wake up call type of presentation (ala “Inconvenient Truth”) where you have a prominent or charismatic personality doing a sordid and dramatised presentation of how far behind we are in the use of plastics. This has to be done in a very layman-friendly storytelling fashion, complete with tear-jerking and heart-rending photos, and sombre facts and figures.
The other idea is to start some kind of grounds-up campaign (maybe call it “Plastics Don’t Die”) which can focus on how the excessive use of plastic bags and other items just screws up the environment and us (eventually).
Finally, and this is my favourite (but damn hard to execute! Lol) is to try to do some kind of “Get Real” or investigative journalism piece looking at the life of plastic and what happens to the stuff thereafter. 🙂
Great ideas, Walter! Just need to find time or some volunteers to do these…