Since the No Plastic Bag Weekend initiative was introduced in 2011, it was quite a challenge for a lot of people who were used to the convenience that plastic afforded. But fast forward to the present day, a lot of people, especially the younger generation, want to see more aggressive initiatives to wean the public off single-use plastic.
So when it was first announced that Gerai Ramadhan would be going plastic-free, my first thought was: it’s about time. On top of it being a holy period, it would be a month to put our own habits to the test, to see how we, as public member, would fare in terms of sustainable practices.
However, I was deeply disappointed when I entered the gerai on the first day. If the authorities had encouraged the vendors to go plastic-free beforehand, there was no sign of it anywhere. Vendors were still serving their food and drinks in plastic containers and cups, and plastic bags to go along with the purchases.
Last year, the authorities announced that excise duties would be imposed on certain plastic products. Restaurants started charging people for takeaways, which prompted quite a number of my peers to make a habit of bringing along their own containers.
While the decision was reversed a few weeks later, the brief period gave us a glimpse into how far the authorities could actually effect change; for better or worse, depending on which side one stands.
A friend recently said that even if all of us in Brunei were to go green right now, it would not make any meaningful impact on the current global war on plastic. He may well be right, but to me, doing nothing is worse.
While we may not have the most eco-friendly Gerai Ramadhan this year, I’m positive that with enough time, the public will warm up to the idea of sustainability and adopt practices that won’t worsen the current environmental crisis. As such, thumbs up to the authorities for trying to get us on the green bandwagon. Let’s hope more people get on board soon.
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