GOVERNMENTS NUDGING INDIVIDUALS TO BYO
Policies, such as levies and bans, can go a long way in shaping consumer behaviour. Governments worldwide are realising this – the United Nations, on Mar 2, agreed to create the first global treaty to end plastic pollution, calling it the most important environmental deal since the Paris Agreement on climate change.
In Singapore, large supermarkets will charge a minimum of 5 cents per disposable carrier bag starting in mid-2023, following years of parliamentary and public debate on ways to cut excessive use of plastic bags.
The hope is to nudge consumers into bringing reusable bags on their grocery runs, without entirely removing access to disposable carriers.
Other countries have gone further. Thailand has banned plastic bags at supermarkets and department stores since 2020, though these are still used by other vendors. Australia and China have also identified single-use plastic straws and cutlery to be phased out.
But nationwide measures are only part of the solution when it might be challenging to get a consensus across different industries and the public.
BUSINESSES MAKING BYO MORE CONVENIENT
Businesses are the more critical plank in getting more people to adopt BYO habits. According to non-governmental organisation Zero Waste SG, over 1,000 local retail outlets offer incentives to customers who BYO. Some cafes, for instance, will give customers a 50-cent discount on their orders.
But are these small incentives enough to make customers pack their reusables before they step out of the house? A 2016 study by Cardiff University found that a 25-pence (S$0.40) charge for disposable cups increased the use of reusable ones by 3.4 per cent, while a discount made no impact.
The study author suggested that a surcharge is more effective than an incentive because “people are far more sensitive to losses than to gains when making decisions”.
