Hao Mart, Ang Mo Supermarket no longer required to charge for plastic bag after deregistering from scheme

SINGAPORE: Supermarket operators Hao Mart and Ang Mo Supermarket are no longer required to charge for plastic bags following their deregistration from the disposable carrier bag charge scheme.

This is the first time any supermarket operator has been delisted, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) on Friday (Jan 30) in response to CNA's queries.

Hao Mart and Ang Mo Supermarket were on the initial list of operators obliged to charge for plastic bags when the scheme first started in 2023, alongside prominent chains such as FairPrice, Cold Storage and Sheng Siong.

Both supermarket operators were deregistered at the end of last year after applying to do so, NEA told CNA.

This was because their annual turnover for each of the last three consecutive years did not exceed the prescribed threshold of S$100 million (US$79.3 million).

Besides not being required to charge for disposable carrier bags, they no longer have to report to NEA the number of such bags issued or the proceeds collected in 2026.

As non-registered retailers, both supermarket chains still have the discretion to decide whether to charge customers for plastic bags.

Since Jul 3, 2023, larger operators with annual turnover of more than S$100 million have been required to charge at least 5 cents for each disposable carrier bag provided at their supermarkets. This is mandatory under the Resource Sustainability Act.

Operators are also required to annually publish details on the number of bags supplied, the amount of proceeds collected and how the funds are used, to ensure transparency and accountability.

According to Hao Mart's latest report, published on Dec 12, 2025, it collected S$21,143.50 in 2024 for 422,870 bags. None of the proceeds was donated that year.

After paying 9 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) to the government – S$1,745.79 – the remaining amount was retained by Hao Mart for its general operating expenses, including costs associated with providing disposable carrier bags and the administration of the scheme.

According to Ang Mo Supermarket's latest report, published on Dec 31, 2025, it collected S$33,241.40 in 2024 for 664,828 bags.

The notice, which was pinned up at its store in Punggol, showed that it paid S$2,745.92 in GST to the government. 

The remaining S$30,495.48 was split between the Marymount and Punggol Shore Citizens' Consultative Committee Community Development and Welfare Fund - Education Fund.

When CNA visited the Hao Mart outlets at Marina Square and Whampoa on Friday afternoon, both stores charged 5 cents per bag. The Ang Mo Supermarket outlet in Potong Pasir similarly charged 5 cents for a bag.

When asked whether Hao Mart would continue to charge for plastic bags, the retailer's senior vice president of operations Jupri Suep said that the provision of plastic bags remains an expense for the operator.

CNA has reached out to Ang Mo Supermarket but could not get in touch with a representative.