I observed that rubbish bin bags in parks are colour-coded for each day of the week. This, according to the authorities, is to ensure that the bags are replaced every day.

While well-meaning, this practice seems wasteful. I have observed empty or less than half-filled bags being replaced. All the bin bags are stacked together after they are replaced, and the empty ones are not segregated for reuse.

The official response to my query was that this replacement is to prevent mosquito breeding and rodent infestation. But empty bin bags reused for a few days would not breed mosquitoes.

While we hold ourselves to high standards on environmental sustainability and call for using less plastic, we should not overlook what's happening on the ground.

Yeow Hwee Ming