Indonesian cities to make shoppers pay for plastic bags

Jakarta and eight other Indonesian cities are to start charging for plastic bags from 21 February, which coincides with Indonesia’s National Waste Awareness Day.

The exact price for the plastic bags has not yet been decided on, with proposals from various cities ranging from 200Rp to 500Rp per bag. While it remains unclear how the policy will be enforced, environmentalists have welcomed Indonesia’s move to tackle its plastic use. Indonesia is the world’s second biggest marine pollutant, after China, dumping an estimated 3.2 million tonnes of plastic in the ocean every year.

Read more: Jakarta.coconuts.co