By the WahLiao desk · Last verified 28 September 2026

Since 3 July 2023, Singapore’s large supermarket operators, meaning those with a company-level annual turnover above $100 million, must charge at least 5 cents for every disposable carrier bag. That covers FairPrice, Sheng Siong, Cold Storage, Giant, Don Don Donki and Prime Supermarket, among others. The charge applies to carrier bags of every material, paper and “biodegradable” included, but not to the flat bags you tear off the roll for vegetables, meat and fish.

Five cents is not much. That is the whole point. It is just enough to make you notice the bag, and noticing turned out to be most of the battle.

The bag charge: quick facts

Start date	3 July 2023
Minimum charge	5 cents per disposable carrier bag
Who must charge	Supermarket operators with company-level annual turnover above $100 million, at their SFA-licensed supermarket outlets
Coverage at launch	About 400 outlets, roughly two-thirds of Singapore’s supermarkets
Still free	Non-carrier bags, such as the flat-top bags for loose produce, meat and seafood
Result so far	Operators reported a 70 to 80 per cent drop in bags issued in the first year

The WahLiao Verdict

Cost	Six bags a week at 5 cents each is 30 cents a week, or $15.60 a year.
What you get	A clear picture of which shops charge, which bags are free and where the money goes.
The alternative	A foldable reusable bag, which pays for itself within months and rarely splits on the MRT.
Worth it for	Everyone who shops, and anyone who used supermarket bags as bin liners.
Skip it if	You already bring your own bags and have made peace with buying bin liners.
Last verified	28 September 2026, against NEA and the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment.

Which supermarkets charge for bags in Singapore?

The rule is set by size, not by brand. Any supermarket operator whose company-level annual turnover exceeds $100 million must charge at its SFA-licensed supermarket outlets. The National Environment Agency publishes the covered operators and their retail brands. They have included Cold Storage, CS Fresh, Giant and Jasons Deli; Don Don Donki; FairPrice, FairPrice Finest, FairPrice Xtra and Finest Gourmet, along with other FairPrice outlets licensed as supermarkets; Sheng Siong; and Prime Supermarket. Check NEA’s list for the current names.

Smaller operators sit outside the mandatory scheme. HAO Mart and Ang Mo Supermarket, for example, have been exempted after reporting turnovers below the threshold. Smaller shops were encouraged to charge voluntarily and many do, so do not assume a bag is free because the shop is small.

Which bags are still free?

The charge covers carrier bags, meaning bags with handles or holes for handles. It does not cover non-carrier bags, such as the flat-top plastic bags for loose produce, meat and seafood, which exist for hygiene rather than for carrying. So the roll by the vegetables is still free. Using it to carry your groceries home is not what it is for, and you will look like someone smuggling bok choy.

Why are paper and biodegradable bags charged too?

Because every bag costs resources to make, move and throw away, whatever it is made of. In Singapore the point is sharper. Waste that is not recycled is incinerated, and the ash goes to the Semakau landfill, so a biodegradable bag never meets the conditions it needs to biodegrade. FairPrice makes the same point in its own explanation of the charge. A paper bag is not a free pass. It is a heavier bag with better public relations.

Is it always 5 cents?

Five cents is the legal minimum, and most large operators charge exactly that. When NEA consulted the public in 2022 it floated 5 to 10 cents, then set the floor at the lower figure to limit the cost to lower-income and elderly shoppers while still nudging behaviour. Before the rule, FairPrice had already charged per transaction at some stores since 2019; from July 2023 it moved to 5 cents per bag across all its formats.

Where does the bag money go?

The charge is kept by the supermarket, not paid to the government. In exchange, large operators must report every year how many bags they issued, how much they collected and how they used the proceeds. The published figures give a sense of scale. For 2024, FairPrice reported issuing about 68 million disposable carrier bags and collecting about $3.4 million; Sheng Siong reported about 31.2 million bags and almost $1.6 million.

Did the bag charge work?

By its own measure, yes. In the first year, the supermarket operators that began charging reported a 70 to 80 per cent reduction in the number of bags issued at their outlets, according to the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment. A five-cent price removed roughly three-quarters of the bags. That tells you something about habit: most of those bags were never needed. They were only offered.

Is taking a bag without paying theft?

Treat the bag as you would anything else in the store. When the charge began, legal academics told The Sunday Times that walking off with an unpaid bag could be treated much like theft, because the supermarket is selling the bag like any other item on its shelves. Nobody is likely to be marched out over a bag. But the principle is the one your grandmother taught you.

How do you pay for a bag at self-checkout?

At a staffed counter, ask and the bag is added to the bill. At self-checkout, the machine offers a bag option on screen or asks you to scan a bag barcode near the bagging area; do it before you pay. The mandatory charge covers purchases at physical supermarket outlets. Online orders follow each retailer’s own packaging policy, so check the order screen.

The bin-liner question

For decades the supermarket bag had a second life under the kitchen sink, lining the rubbish bin. The charge ended that free arrangement, and many households now buy bin liners instead. That is not a failure of the policy. It is the policy working as designed, making the true cost of a bag visible. The household decision is simply this: buy liners that fit your bin, or pay 5 cents for a carrier bag you intend to reuse as one. Either way the bag is no longer free, and it was never free to make.

A bag routine that works

• Keep one foldable bag permanently in the bag you carry every day, not in the car or on the door handle, where it will be when you are not.
• Keep an insulated bag for chilled and frozen shopping. It protects the cold chain on the ride home and saves you double-bagging.
• Pack heavy items in your own sturdy bag, and use the free flat bags only for loose produce.
• For the big monthly shop, a trolley bag or a box in the car boot beats six plastic bags.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the plastic bag charge at Singapore supermarkets?

At least 5 cents per disposable carrier bag at supermarkets run by operators with annual turnover above $100 million, since 3 July 2023. Most charge exactly 5 cents.

Do all supermarkets in Singapore charge for bags?

Only the large operators must. Smaller supermarkets below the $100 million turnover threshold may charge voluntarily, and many do.

Are the bags for vegetables and meat free?

Yes. Non-carrier bags, such as flat-top bags for loose produce, meat and seafood, are not covered by the charge.

Why am I charged for a paper bag?

The charge applies to disposable carrier bags of all materials, because every bag uses resources and adds to waste, and in Singapore that waste is incinerated rather than composted.

Does the bag charge apply to online grocery orders?

The mandatory charge covers purchases made at physical supermarket outlets. Online orders follow each retailer’s own packaging policy.

Read next

This page belongs to How Supermarket Works, our series on the grocery network behind the shelf. Continue with every supermarket chain in Singapore, explained and how to save money on groceries in Singapore.

Sources checked 28 September 2026: NEA, Disposable Carrier Bag Charge; MSE written reply (4 March 2025); REACH public consultation (2022); FairPrice, Bring Your Own Bag; operators’ published bag-charge disclosures for 2024. Last updated 28 September 2026.