I have to wonder about Singapore's dedication to that same movement. Just a short time back, we had a huge campaign to encourage the use of such bags as well. Recently, however, I have noticed a severe lack of initiative to uphold that cause.

Of late, I have begun to notice that the cashiers at supermarkets I frequent (which include the big three of NTUC, Cold Storage and Carrefour) hardly even bother to check with customers if they want to use a recyclable bag.

I can understand if they have stopped recommending customers to buy and use bags, but there is no initiative whatsoever to even check if they wish to use a green bag. The cashiers automatically pack items into the supermarket's regular plastic bags, as they used to do before the recyclable campaign began. No questions asked.

The most shocking thing is that even when I am clearly carrying or unpacking my recyclable bag for use, they appear not to notice and use the store's plastic bags anyway. Without fail, I find myself having to call out to them to stop, and say that I have my own bag.

It is disturbing to find that the recyclable bag campaign seems to have faded away like a passing fad.

Darren Chia