GEORGE TOWN: Penang is stepping up its “No Plastic Bag” campaign with no bags to be given out daily from March, as part of its commitment to environmental conservation and sustainability.
State housing and environment committee chairman Datuk Seri S. Sundarajoo, who disclosed this, said the campaign would kick off with the distribution of free reusable bags to promote its usage and to get Penangites to shift to more eco-friendly practices.
“We will provide a six-month grace period on enforcement until Aug 31 to allow businesses and the public to adapt to the new regulations, with full enforcement to begin on Sept 1.
“For the first three months of the campaign, the Penang Green Council will distribute 100,000 reusable bags to the people, after which it will need to be purchased,” he said after launching the Penang 2025 No Plastic Bags Every Day Campaign here yesterday, Bernama reported.
Penang was the first state to introduce a “No Plastic Bag” campaign in 2009, requiring businesses to stop providing complimentary plastic bags to customers.
The exco member said the campaign was more than just a policy, adding that it was a call for sustainability and urged the people to reduce plastic waste by using reusable bags and rejecting single-use plastics for a greener future.
Sundarajoo said the state government was formulating a comprehensive framework to gradually phase out not just plastic bags but also single-use plastics throughout Penang.
