KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians are aware of the adverse effects stemming from single-use plastics, but believe the responsibility of preventing environmental hazard lies solely with the government.
According to a survey by Ipsos Malaysia to understand how Malaysians view plastics and its sustainability, 56 per cent of respondents were concerned about the issue and want to see efforts made to address it.
Ipsos Malaysia’s managing director Arun Menon said 70 per cent of respondents felt it was the government's responsibility to find effective ways to reduce plastic usage.
“On the top three initiatives to encourage the public to recycle and reduce plastics use, 47 per cent want waste bins to be provided in the neighbourhood.
“Around 37 per cent respondents want the government to introduce compostable garbage bags for waste collection.
“Meanwhile, 30 per cent want educational workshops to be conducted to increase public awareness,” he said during Ipsos Malaysia ‘A Plastic Free Sustainable Future? Perception vs Reality’ forum held at the Gardens Ballroom, Gardens Hotel, here today.
The tracking poll involved more than 3,000 respondents in three separate occasions between October 2018 and June 2019 across the country.
It also revealed that Malaysians are quite receptive to recycle and would reduce the use of plastics if recycle bins are provided in the community (80 per cent). Meanwhile, 73 per cent of respondents are willing to be involved in 'No Plastic Waste' campaigns.
“Malaysians feel that the most effective way to reduce the problem is by replacing plastic items with biodegradable products (59 per cent), as opposed to 42 per cent who believed in banning plastics for daily use.
“Twenty-one per cent respondents find that higher tax imposed on plastic items is another effective way to reduce plastic use,” Arun said.
It is also revealed that 42 per cent recycle their plastics, 38 per cent do not separate their plastic waste from normal rubbish, while 20 per cent are reported to burn their plastic waste inside or outside their household.
Despite calling for the government to fight against single-use plastic, Arun said only 44 per cent of Malaysians are aware of the 'Roadmap Towards Zero Single-Use Plastic’ initiative by the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC).
“It is heartening to see that the majority of Malaysians are positive towards phasing out single-use plastic, but only as long as they do not need to fork out more money.
“Only 59 per cent respondents were willing to phase out single-use plastic if there were no price increase, and 20 per cent were okay with a slight price increase,” he said.
Apart from that, only 64 per cent were aware of the government’s campaign to reduce single-use plastic through the banning of straws campaign which started earlier this year.
Additionally, only 22 per cent believe that the method would reduce the use of plastic and encourage recycling.
It was also revealed that 48 per cent were willing to use recycled grocery bags and 37 per cent were okay to re-use disposable items such as plastic bags and plastic bottles.
Only 58 per cent were willing to use reusable bags when shopping.
During the panel session, environmentalist Tengku Zatashah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah said education was key to raising awareness against plastic use, and it should start in primary school.
“Many would come up to me and ask how I manage to avoid using plastic, where I was famously pictured bringing a tiffin carrier at the pasar malam.
“You don’t need to be a princess to do that. All you need is to influence your friends and families on avoiding plastic use,” she added.