Plastic Prices Soar, Bandung Mayor Urges Residents to Use Their Own Containers

Bandung Mayor Muhammad Farhan has urged the public to get into the habit of bringing their own food containers and shopping bags from home. This step is seen as a practical solution amid the skyrocketing prices of plastic packaging, which have risen up to fourfold in the past week.

Farhan revealed that the increase in the price of wrapping plastic has triggered complaints from micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), especially those in the culinary sector with delivery services.

“I heard the increase is up to four times. Usually around Rp15,000, now it has surged to Rp40,000 per package. This increase happened since last weekend,” said Farhan in Bandung on Wednesday (8/4).

Opportunity to Reduce Waste

Although currently investigating the exact cause of the price surge at the distributor level, Farhan believes this situation should be used as a momentum for Bandung residents to change their consumption patterns to be more environmentally friendly. He advised residents not to rely on single-use plastic when buying food or shopping for daily needs.

“The rise in plastic container prices is actually a momentum for us to really utilise the food containers we have at home, especially if we want to do takeaway,” he said.

With this behavioural change, he is optimistic that waste production in the Flower City will decrease significantly.

To curb public expenditure while preserving the environment, Farhan conveyed two main messages to residents who are about to go out: bring their own shopping bags and food containers.

In addition to avoiding the burden of expensive plastic prices, this step will automatically help the Bandung City Government in reducing the daily waste volume.

“One, because the price is now expensive. Two, this is also a real step to reduce waste in our city,” Farhan emphasised.