As a regular shopper at supermarkets, I have noticed that many a time, more plastic bags than necessary are dispensed.

Double-bag packaging is common, even though a single bag is adequate to take the weight of the purchases.

My children and I have tried to educate the cashiers on minimising the use of plastic bags.

Although most are cooperative, there are many who were confused or amused by us.

There were also incidents where we informed the cashiers too late not to use a second bag, and the unused bag was thrown away. We were told that this was because it was already open.

Managing plastic bag waste is a two-pronged approach.

As the Government and stores encourage shoppers to take along their own bags with them, there should also be efforts to educate frontline staff on more sustainable and effective ways of using plastic bags.

Consumers generally do not interfere with how cashiers pack their purchases. Shop owners can take this opportunity to better manage the number of bags used.

Lam Hwee Lim (Miss)