Public told to pick reusable bags
Let's switch to reusable bags: Minister of Development, Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Haji Abdullah, examines the reusable bags which were on display during the opening ceremony of a campaign on "Reusable bags replacing the use of plastic bags" held at Giant Supermarket, Rimba, yesterday. Picture: Saifulizam
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
KICK the habit of excessively using disposable plastic bags and opt instead for reusable ones, the government is entreating the public here.
It made the call yesterday through the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation (DEPR), which has launched a campaign to curb plastic bag-usage with the support of other local agencies, private companies and retailers.
To kickstart the campaign, held in conjunction with World Environment Day 2008, the department teamed up with two major retailers — Giant and Supa Save — to give out 1,000 reusable bags for free yesterday to those who shopped at the stores.
The bags are available for $1 each at these supermarkets for those who wish to obtain them.
DEPR Director Hj Zakaria Hj Serudin said the campaign's main aim was to get people to get into the habit of reusing their shopping bags, so as to reduce waste generation, landfill use and environmental degradation. He also mentioned that a similar campaign will be launched in Belait later this month.
About 16,000 tonnes of plastic bags end up at the Sg Akar landfill each year, according to Development Minister Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Abdullah Begawan Mudim Dato paduka Hj Bakar, who officiated the campaign launch yesterday.
He was citing a study carried out by DEPR in 2005, and noted that some plastic bags also make their way to the country's waters, clogging waterways and causing floods during periods of heavy rain.
Cutting down on excessive plastic bag consumption is "simple and inexpensive", the minister said, listing several ways: making optimal use of the bags by filling them to capacity, reusing them for other purposes and bringing one's own shopping bags when shopping.
He also cited some benefits of kicking the habit of using plastics: less plastic bags mean less waste and pollution, and reusing old bags can save up on resources needed to make new ones.
A study done by the US Environmental Protection Agency in 2006 showed that reusing plastic bags can save up to 51 to 56 million Btu (one Btu is equivalent to eight gallons of gasoline).
Brunei is joining other countries to cut plastic bag usage. Some nations, like China and Bangladesh, which have faced severe environmental problems as a result of the bags, are banning their use. Others, such as Denmark and Ireland, have put a tax on such bags.
The Brunei Times
It made the call yesterday through the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation (DEPR), which has launched a campaign to curb plastic bag-usage with the support of other local agencies, private companies and retailers.
To kickstart the campaign, held in conjunction with World Environment Day 2008, the department teamed up with two major retailers — Giant and Supa Save — to give out 1,000 reusable bags for free yesterday to those who shopped at the stores.
The bags are available for $1 each at these supermarkets for those who wish to obtain them.
DEPR Director Hj Zakaria Hj Serudin said the campaign's main aim was to get people to get into the habit of reusing their shopping bags, so as to reduce waste generation, landfill use and environmental degradation. He also mentioned that a similar campaign will be launched in Belait later this month.
About 16,000 tonnes of plastic bags end up at the Sg Akar landfill each year, according to Development Minister Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Abdullah Begawan Mudim Dato paduka Hj Bakar, who officiated the campaign launch yesterday.
He was citing a study carried out by DEPR in 2005, and noted that some plastic bags also make their way to the country's waters, clogging waterways and causing floods during periods of heavy rain.
Cutting down on excessive plastic bag consumption is "simple and inexpensive", the minister said, listing several ways: making optimal use of the bags by filling them to capacity, reusing them for other purposes and bringing one's own shopping bags when shopping.
He also cited some benefits of kicking the habit of using plastics: less plastic bags mean less waste and pollution, and reusing old bags can save up on resources needed to make new ones.
A study done by the US Environmental Protection Agency in 2006 showed that reusing plastic bags can save up to 51 to 56 million Btu (one Btu is equivalent to eight gallons of gasoline).
Brunei is joining other countries to cut plastic bag usage. Some nations, like China and Bangladesh, which have faced severe environmental problems as a result of the bags, are banning their use. Others, such as Denmark and Ireland, have put a tax on such bags.
The Brunei Times
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