Bali’s provincial government seems to be getting more serious about cracking down on plastic bags.
A circular was prepared this week for the governor’s office to issue on a plastic bag charge in Bali at pasar modern, or modern markets.
The head of Bali Province’s Environment Agency Gede Suarjana said on Wednesday from Denpasar that a draft of the circular has been delivered to the Bali Governor’s office and is there, waiting to be signed.
“Clearly, the Bali provincial government strongly supports policies charging for plastic bags as part of a larger effort to reduce the production of plastic waste,” Suarjana said, as quoted by Antara Bali.
The circular would also aim to help alter peoples’ mentality, to get them more concerned about the environment, Suarjana explained.
He added that the letter also contains an appeal to replace plastic bags with “biodegradable” alternatives.
Although the circular has not yet gone through and into effect, Suarjana says a number of modern markets in Bali have already started to charge for plastic bags since Feb. 21, 2016 and the government has invited about 150 companies in Bali to socialize the policy.
According to Antara, Suarjana did not deny that policy would not contain any sanctions for noncompliance. So it may not have any real teeth, but at least it’s a step in the right direction towards toning it down on all the plastic in Bali.
