I would like to applaud the authorities for its green drive. The price increase in plastic should serve as a wake-up call to those who are hooked on plastic products.
I would also like to respond to the letter, ‘Extra charge for plastic bag?’, published in the Opinion page on June 21. Instead of whining about it, why don’t we, as consumers, find a way to overcome the situation? For example, if we are going to the Gadong Night Market and we know there will be a 20-cent charge for every plastic bag used, we can bring along reusable grocery bags.
Making little changes to move ourselves away from plastics is a win-win situation. Not only will we save money, we will litter the planet less by moving away from single-use plastics.
MA
The plastic excise tax increase is a positive move that needs to be lauded by the public. After all, 20 per cent of the waste in the country is plastic.
To solve plastic pollution, I would like to see the tax increase to 150 per cent, which would make it BND12.50 per kilogramme of plastic imported into the country.
Yes, this would mean one nasi katok may well end up costing BND5 instead of the current BND1.50. But the fact that plastic pollutes the environment makes it necessary for the authorities to take action on non-biodegradable waste.
Those who complain about plastics, on the other hand, need to be more green in both their mindset and lifestyle.
For example, instead of asking for a plastic bag to hold their nasi katok, they should instead opt for a reusable food container. For drinks, there are countless shops selling reusable cups and travel mugs.
As a people, we can deal with plastic-related issues. It is a matter of changing our own mindset.
Mr Anti-Plastic
