Pay 20sen for every plastic bag requested in Taiping from Aug 1

THE “No Plastic Bag” campaign in Taiping, Perak, from Aug 1 will see consumers paying 20sen for each plastic bag requested on Saturdays.

Taiping Municipal Council (MPT) president Khairul Amir Mohamad Zubir (pic) said the fee would be implemented at participating businesses such as hypermarkets, supermarkets and convenience stores.

“Businesses that have registered for the campaign will be issued a certificate that must be displayed clearly on their premises.

“Business premises that collect the fee without registering with the municipal council can have their licences revoked under Section 107 (2) of the Local Government Act 1976.

“However, public markets and hawker stalls are exempted,” he said during a townhall session at Wisma Perbandaran Taiping.

In May, the Federal Government announced that the use of plastic bags would be phased out within two years across all businesses, including roadside stalls.

The campaign, which began gradually in shops with fixed locations such as supermarkets, will be extended to other business premises.

Khairul Amir hopes that with the campaign, people will bring their own bags when shopping on Saturdays to reduce the use of plastic bags.

“We foresee that there may be some issues and complaints from the public over the fee as it could be a burden for them.

“However, the main aim of the fee is to encourage a culture of bringing your own bags when shopping,” he said.

He added that the fee collected would be used for campaigns or activities to promote environmental conservation.

“These include holding communication, education and public awareness programmes such as tree-planting.

“We have also been conducting ewaste roadshows and plogging every month at several locations, as well as organising illegal dumpsite clearing and cleanliness campaigns,” he added.

Khairul Amir said that when the Federal Government first introduced a policy to minimise plastic bag usage in October 2018, the municipal council took preliminary steps by implementing a ban on single-use plastics and polystyrene containers at several locations, including Taiping Zoo and Night Safari in 2018.

He said other public facilities involved included MPT’s headquarters, sports arena, Warisan Square and Taiping Lake Gardens.

“MPT also prohibits the use of polystyrene and single-use plastic at its events.

“We have also prepared a kiosk to exchange plastic bags for free non-woven bags, to create awareness of the consequences of using plastic bags,” he added.

Tags / Keywords: Taiping , Plastic , Bag , Townhall , Municipal , Khairul Amir Mohamad Zubir

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