Association of Indonesian Retailers (Aprindo) head Roy Nicholas Mandey said the city should only reduce the use of plastic bags instead of banning them.

“Aprindo regrets the ban when it should have only been reduced,” Roy said on Tuesday, kompas.com reported.

“Article 3[2] of Presidential Regulation No. 97/2017 also said reduced [plastics use], there is no mention of a ban,” he said.

He said the result of those regulations were the use of nationally certified (SNI) biodegradable plastic bags recommended by the National Standardization Agency (BSN), in accordance with  a recommendation from the Environment and Forestry Ministry.

He said the biodegradable plastic bags had been used in 35,000 retailers.

However, the association would still follow Jakarta’s single use plastic ban once it was enacted. “We are still ready to eliminate [plastic bags] because it also reduces [business] costs,” Roy said.

Separately, Alfamart corporate affairs director Solihin said the company supported the planned policy.

“If a regional administration, city administration or regency administration makes such a regulation, we will follow it,” Solihin said on Wednesday.

He said a plastic bag ban would benefit the retailer as Alfamart also sold reusable shopping bags for Rp 3,500 (24 US cents).

Jakarta Environment Agency head Isnawa Adji said the planned gubernatorial regulation would stipulate a six month transition period to educate retailers, vendors and consumers about the ban before a total ban by the middle of 2019. (ami)