Want a plastic bag? Pay 20sen

Come July 6, patrons of supermarkets and hypermarkets in Penang will have to pay 20 sen for each plastic bag that they obtain from the respective outlets where they shop.

The new initiative was recently agreed upon and supported by over 250 supermarkets, hypermarkets, shops and pharmacies in the state, as part of the state government’s ‘No Plastic Bag Day’ campaign.

Participating outlets have undertaken to encourage patrons to instead use bags made of canvas, cloth, jute or recyclable paper, or cardboard boxes, and to shun plastic bags which are non-biodegradable.

Money collected from the sale of the plastic bags will be channelled to the state government's ‘Partner Against Poverty’ campaign aimed at assisting poor families.