Bringing reusable bags on supermarket runs is now second nature for many Singaporeans, as is hearing “Would you like a bag?” from cashiers at several stores. Since July 2023, supermarket operators with an annual turnover of more than $100 million are required to charge at least five cents for each disposable carrier bag provided. The charge applies to disposable carrier bags regardless of what they’re made of, whether it’s plastic, paper, or biodegradable materials.
These are part of Singapore’s efforts to build a sustainable, resource-efficient and climate-resilient nation. The Resource Sustainability Act was passed by Parliament in 2019. As part of this Act, the government can now regulate the amount of packaging waste. Larger supermarket operators are also required by law to report annually the number of disposable carrier bags provided, the amount of charge collected, and how the proceeds were used.
Read Also: Guide To Paying For Disposable Carrier Bags At Popular Supermarkets From 3 July 2023
How Much Disposable Bag Charges Were Collected In 2023 and 2024?
In 2023, Sheng Siong provided over 15.2 million disposable carrier bags from July to December, collecting over $760,000 in charges. In 2024, from January to December, they provided over 31.2 million bags and collected almost $1.6 million in charges.
FairPrice provided more than double that amount in the same period, with the total charges for 2024 slightly under $3.4m. Here is a non-exhaustive list of supermarkets that have publicly provided information.
| 2023 (July to December) | 2024 (January to December) | |||
| Number of bags | Total charges | Number of bags | Total charges | |
| FairPrice | 33,630,364 | $1.7m | 67,945,733 | $3.4m |
| Sheng Siong | 15,202,129 | $760k | 31,202,996 | $1.6m |
| Cold Storage/Giant | 10,850,820 | $543k | – | – |
| Prime Supermarket | 2,573,854 | $129k | 4,159,410 | $208k |
| Ang Mo Supermarket | – | – | 664,828 | $33k |
| HAO Mart | 644,303 | $32k | 422,870 | $21k |
| Phoon Huat | 36,786 | $4k | 44,637 | $4k |
Other supermarket outlets licensed by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and required to publish their data, such as Don Don Donki, chose to report under different time periods (i.e., July 2023 to March 2024 and April 2024 to March 2025) and were therefore excluded from the table.
According to a 2025 response to a Parliamentary Question, Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, revealed that supermarket operators who started charging for disposable carrier bags reported a 70 to 80 per cent reduction in the number of bags issued at their outlets.
What These Charges Are Used For
According to the National Environment Agency, the government strongly encourages supermarket operators to channel the proceeds from the bag charge to environmental or social causes. On their part, supermarket operators have indicated that they intend to do so and, in their annual reports, have disclosed how the proceeds are used in the name of transparency and accountability.
Sheng Siong, for example, channels most of its proceeds from charges to the annual President’s Challenge, which benefits a broad range of charities and social services. Prime Supermarket worked closely with community centres and non-profit organisations to support households in neighbourhoods such as Kampong Glam and Gek Poh Ville. Phoon Huat donated most of their proceeds to Presbyterian Community Services, with the remainder subsidising the cost of their baking classes.
In 2023, FairPrice used some of its proceeds to support its transition to electric vehicles and donated a portion to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). In 2024, most of their proceeds went to the FairPrice Foundation, the philanthropic arm of FairPrice Group.
Ang Mo Supermarket reportedly channelled its 2024 proceeds to the Marymount and Punggol Shore Citizens’ Consultative Committee (CCC) Community Development and Welfare Fund (CDWF).
HAO Mart reported that their proceeds were “applied towards the Company general operating expenses, including costs associated with the provision of disposable carrier bags and administration of the carrier bag charge. No portion of the proceeds was donated during the reporting period.”
HAO Mart And Ang Mo Supermarket Are Now Exempted From The Disposable Bag Carrier Charge Requirement
Last month, it was reported that HAO Mart and Ang Mo Supermarket have successfully applied to be delisted from the disposable bag carrier charge scheme. This is because their annual turnover for each of the last three consecutive years did not exceed $100 million. This is the first time that any supermarket operator has been delisted.
Note that this does not mean they will stop charging for disposable carrier bags; it simply means they are no longer required to. This also means they no longer need to disclose how they use their proceeds.
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