I refer to the recent spate of activism over the use of plastics (3 billion plastic bags a year? Cut use with mandatory tax; Oct 5).

These actions are well intentioned but fundamentally pointless. This is because the use of plastics is a problem only in countries without proper waste management, which results in plastics entering the environment.

In Singapore, waste is burned in incineration plants, and buried in an offshore landfill. The use of plastics, therefore, cannot be framed as a pollution problem.

It can, however, be framed as a consumption problem because plastics are derived from petroleum. The consumption of petroleum can be tackled more effectively through other means, for example by directly reducing the use of fuels.

Keith Kwan