Malaysia’s plastic bag levy ‘fails to reduce waste’

Malaysia’s weekly levy on plastic shopping bags has had little impact on reducing litter or the amount of plastic waste going to landfill, according to research by Monash University.

The Malaysian government launched its No Plastic Bag Saturday campaign in January 2011, charging consumers the equivalent of six Australian cents per bag. It claimed the levy was needed to change consumer behaviour and that revenue would be used to fund environmental campaigns.

According to a study published in 2013 in the journal Environment Development and Sustainability, the controversial levy was met with protest and defiance from Malaysia’s retailers, plastic manufacturers and consumers.