Disposable carrier bag charge to be implemented from 3 July 2023

27 June 2023

Provisions in the Resource Sustainability (Amendment) Act 2023 (“Amendment Act”) relating to the disposable carrier bag charge and related subsidiary legislation came into force on 26 May 2023. From 3 July 2023, registered retailers will be required to implement the disposable carrier bag charge at a minimum rate of at least five cents for each disposable carrier bag provided at their Singapore Food Agency-registered supermarkets.

The new Part 4A of the Resource Sustainability Act 2019 requires registered retailers to impose and collect a charge on each disposable carrier bag provided to customers, and sets out other requirements relating to the charge, in particular the requirement to publish information on how and where the total amount of charge collected has been applied.

The Government strongly encourages supermarket operators to channel the proceeds from the bag charge to environmental or social causes. Obligated supermarket operators are required to publish information annually on the number of disposable carrier bags supplied, amount of proceeds collected, and how the proceeds are used.

The other provisions in the Amendment Act which provide for a beverage container return scheme and require the segregation and treatment of food waste generated in prescribed buildings and reporting on the treatment of such food waste have yet to come into force.

Reference materials

The following are available from Singapore Statutes Online sso.agc.gov.sg and the National Environment Agency website www.nea.gov.sg: