JB traders anxious about plastic bag price hikes caused by rising fuel costs
Sign up now: Get insights on the biggest stories in Malaysia
Vegetable seller Phua Ming Hui (left) said customers might have to bring their own bags or containers if sellers start reducing the use of plastic bags.
PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
DeeperDive is a beta AI feature. Refer to full articles for the facts.
JOHOR BAHRU – Petty traders in Johor Bahru are feeling the pinch from plastic bag price hikes owing to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which, in turn, have caused petroleum prices to surge.
Naphtha, a petroleum-derived chemical, is used in the production of plastic and vinyl products, ranging from garbage bags to food packaging to polyethylene terephthalate bottles.
Vegetable seller Phua Ming Hui said that while there was no obvious shortage, the price increase was eating into his profits.
“Petty traders like us have no other option but to continue buying plastic bags,” he said at Perling market in Taman Perling.
Mr Phua said the price of a 1kg plastic bag roll was RM9 (S$2.90) in March, but the price has shot up to RM11.70 since April.
Meanwhile, smaller plastic bags now cost RM4.20 per kg, up from RM3.80 previously, he said.
“We use 5kg of both types of plastic bags, on average,” the trader said, adding that prices were unlikely to come down, even if oil prices eased.
Mr Phua said he cannot pass the costs to consumers, as vegetable prices in Johor Bahru have been stable since the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
“Customers might have to bring their own bags or containers to buy greens if sellers start reducing their use of plastic bags,” he said.
A sundry shop assistant, who wanted to be known only as Maria, said her employer has no choice but to fork out more money for plastic bags of different sizes, used in bagging items such as anchovies, salted fish, legumes and salted eggs for customers.
“It now costs RM160 for 20kg of plastic bags, compared with RM125 in March.”
She said small traders might soon have to emulate supermarkets and hypermarkets, which are no longer giving out plastic bags. At these places, shoppers have to bring their own bags or pay a fee if they need plastic bags.
Malaysian Plastics Manufacturers Association chairman Mike Tan was quoted in news reports as saying that the situation might worsen if the conflict drags on.
The knock-on effects are already showing, with industry players warning that shortages could soon hit consumers directly. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
