Governor Anies Baswedan signs regulation banning single-use plastic bags in malls and markets

Photo: Michael Coghlan / Flickr
Photo: Michael Coghlan / Flickr

It’s been a long time coming, but Governor Anies Baswedan has officially passed a regulation banning single-use plastic bags in the modern retailers and traditional markets.

The Gubernatorial Regulation (Pergub) was drafted in late 2018 and expected to be enforced in early 2019, but Anies held off on signing it into law, saying he didn’t want to rush the policy before viable alternatives to single-use plastic bags were widely available.

Anies finally signed the Pergub roughly a year later on Dec. 27, 2019, as confirmed by Jakarta Environment Agency Head Andono Warih today.

“[Throughout last year] we pushed for the use of eco-friendly bags. We also pushed businesses to not provide single-use plastic bags,” he said, as quoted by CNN Indonesia.

The regulation, coded Pergub 142/2019, carries punishments for retailers and vendors that violate the ban. Though draft of the Pergub carried fines of IDR5-25 million (US$350-1,740) for violators of the ban, the final Pergub was less specific with its punishments, which could come in the form of written warnings, fines, or suspension/revocation of business permits.

In addition, the Pergub says the provincial government will incentivize retailers and vendors that comply with the ban with tax reductions.

Eco-friendly bags, as defined in the Pergub, include those made from paper, cloth, or recycled materials.

Andono said that the Pergub will come into effect on July 1, 2020 to give time for a six-month transition period during which the government will raise awareness about and socialize the specifics of the ban.

In 2016, the Indonesian government carried out a temporary trial policy for mandatory charges levied on customers for plastic bag use. In Jakarta, the charge was a mere IDR200 (US$0.014) per plastic bag. After the trial ended, most retailers decided not to adopt the policy save for a select few who still charge around IDR200 per plastic bag.



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  1. Mind me for asking, but does the regulation stipulates what packaging could be used by these shops?

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