Seven months into the ban in Indonesia's capital, reports have shown a declining use of plastic bags in minimarkets. Indomaret, for example, has completely cut the monthly use of 8,000 single-use plastic bags per store, according to retail group Indomarco Prismatama managing director Wiwiek Yusuf. They have also seen decreased monthly sales of reusable tote bags, from 250 bags per store during the first month after the ban was in place to half the number now. This suggests that more buyers might be using the reusable bags they had bought earlier.

Indomaret’s data echoed a recent survey done by members of the Indonesian Plastic Bag Diet movement (GIDKP), which found that 90 percent out of 1,220 Jakartans had been bringing their own bags to the markets during the first six months of the ban.

Concerns remain, however, as the ban, which was effective beginning July last year after the pandemic hit, only regulates single-use plastic bags in traditional markets, modern supermarkets and minimarkets, excluding online businesses.

“The problem is that most online vendors are home businessowners. The ban has yet to address this despite a surge in online shopping during the pandemic,” GIDKP director Tiza Mafira told The Jakarta Post recently.

Read also: Jakarta begins new chapter in plastic waste reduction

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the GIDKP had collaborated with online food delivery companies to develop the “less plastic” features on their delivery applications, where users can choose whether they want to purchase cutlery at checkout.

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