Halal Sustainability: Assessing Community Perceptions on the Implementation of ‘No Plastic Bag Everyday’ Intervention as an Approach to Tackle Single-use Plastic usage in Brunei Darussalam

Abstract

Plastic waste, particularly single-use plastics, has been identified as one of the issues that the Government wish to tackle and resolve. Despite having the ‘No Plastic Bag Everyday’ (NPBE) initiative to eliminate single-use plastic in participating stores by 2019, Brunei Darussalam continues to produced 29 percent of plastic waste of some 229,496 tone of disposed landfills materials in 2021, making it as the second top waste composition in landfills. This study aimed to evaluate community perceptions on the implementation of the NPBE intervention, to minimize the dependency on the limited non-renewable resources and encouraging communities to improve the nature, environment, and plastic waste management as an approach to promote Halal Sustainability in Brunei Darussalam. A cross-sectional descriptive study design was conducted on 200 local Bruneians utilizing an online questionnaire through Google Forms, distributed via WhatsApp. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed using SPSS to describe the characteristics of the
respondents as well as their perceptions. The findings indicate that the participants responded a variety of justifications for their frequent usage of plastic bags. Although many respondents claimed they begin implementing NPBE, with a total of 149 (74.5%) mainly when shopping in large grocery stores, but majority (105 (52.5%)) of the respondents also stated that they use 5 to 10 disposable plastic bags, and 57 (28.5%) use more than 10 disposable plastic bags per week for different purposes. Accordingly, 168 (84.0%) responded that one-time plastics are cheap, 147 (73.5%) responded that plastic bags are light and convenient to use, 93 (46.5%) use them due to lack of alternatives. However, almost all respondents, 196 (98%) support NPBE implementation to reduce single-use plastic bags, 98 (49%) support a ban on single-use plastic bags, and 156 (78%) were willing to pay for alternative bags. In Brunei, plastic bags are the most often used plastic items, and this trend is rapidly expanding. The primary factors are the simplicity of single-use plastic and their accessibility for free or at a low price, as well as a lack of sustainable plastic bag alternatives. These disposable plastic bags wind up in public spaces, resulting in plastic pollution. However, the majority of research participants would cease to utilize single-use plastic bags if inexpensive substitute bags were offered. This encouragement promotes the use of more environmentally friendly and sustainable alternatives to plastic shopping bags. Brunei communities are aware of the environmental issues brought by the extensive usage of single-use plastic usage, as well as the waste they produce and the need for substitutes. They also recognized the NPBE implementation as a potential solution to curb plastic pollution in Brunei Darussalam. However, until inexpensive and eco-friendly alternatives are offered, it will continue to provide serious environmental difficulties.