Draft #1 Technical Report on Waste Management
Background
This report responds
to a call for proposals to recommend solutions to specific problems in a
particular area of focus. The team decided to work on plastic waste management
in Singapore, focusing on the beverages’ packaging waste.
Single-use plastics are a popular choice amongst consumers due to
its advantages such as low cost and convenience. With higher demand, there will
be a surge in plastic production. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF),
plastic production around the world saw a dramatic increase from 15 million
tonnes in 1964 to 311 million tonnes in 2014. The number is expected to double
again over the next 20 years.
With ever-increasing plastic being produced, this implies that
plastic waste will also rise. As a significant amount of plastic waste is being
produced, it is crucial on how effectively it can be managed as plastic is a
type of material that is difficult to biodegrade, which will result in it
lasting a long time in this world.
Due to the long lifespan of plastics, those that are not properly
disposed of will cause a variety of problems. One of the problems would be
water pollution. When plastics break down into microplastic, it enters the food
cycle of sea creatures causing harm to the marine biodiversity. Also, it
releases toxic chemicals into the environment and can make their way into our
food and water resources.
Last year, Sriring, O. (2018) published an article about a pilot
whale that died due to 80 pieces of rubbish pieces found in its stomach has
garnered global attention. This owes to the fact that there is plastic
pollution in the ocean. According to the UN Environment Programme(2017), every year
about 4.8 to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic are dumped in the ocean. Singapore
contributes to plastic pollution in the ocean through its high usage of
plastics in the country. According to a study by the Singapore
Environment Council (2018), Singaporeans use at least 1.76 billion plastics
such as bottles, bags and other disposable items yearly, in which only less
than 20% are recycled. The remaining are discarded, burnt or to be transported
to landfills.
This is an issue to a
city like Singapore, as the majority of Singapore’s non-recyclable waste;
plastic is incinerated and shipped to a man-made island nearby, called Semakau
island. Geddie, J. (2018) reported that Semakau Island, Singapore’s only
landfill, is expected to be filled up by 2035, 15 years from now. Originally,
it was expected to last till 2045 however, due to the amount of waste generated
that has increased over the years, the projected lifespan of the landfill was
shortened.
This is crucial as
Singapore faces land scarcity and is vulnerable to situations like this, thus
we should play a part and contribute more to protect the environment.
Initiatives must be taken to reduce plastic production and consumption to
provide a better future for the next generation.
Many developed cities
around the world had imposed certain types of disposable plastic ban. Singapore
can similarly protect the environment by reducing unnecessary plastic
consumption in the form of bottles and beverage packaging.
1.1 Current solutions in Singapore
Incineration was
introduced in Singapore in the form of Waste-to-energy (WTE) plants. Currently,
incineration helps prolong the lifespan of the landfill by reducing the amount
of volume of waste. According to the Ministry of the Environment and Water
Resources (MEWR), incineration of plastic can reduce the total volume from 100%
to 10%. But it is not a viable long term solution as the burning of plastic
will release fumes that are hazardous to the environment. Without incineration
of this non-biodegradable material, it would stay around for generations.
In 2007, the National
Environment Agency (NEA) had started the Singapore Packing Agreement. In this
voluntary agreement, NEA and operators worked together to reduce “packaging
wastage” from innovative design, efficient manufacturing and encouraged “reuse
or recycling of packaging materials”. According to NEA (2019), under the second
SPA’s duration, businesses have reduced the total amount of 54,000 tonnes of
packaging waste.
ZeroWaste SG (2018)
has also published a guide to encourage food and beverage (F&B) operators
to reduce plastic usage. In this guide, auditors issued a rating for popular
F&B operators based on efforts in reducing plastic usage, persuade
consumers to adopt a Bring Your Own (BYO) culture and suggest other things for
them to contribute more. The results published in this guide show that the
majority of F&B operators are open to the concept of a BYO culture.
The ideal situation
would be for beverage shops under the Singapore Food Agency(SFA), should not
use plastic cups for their drinks. The SFA should include regulations for the
shops to omit plastic for their cups, straws, and carriers.
1.2 Problem statement
The amount of plastic
waste contributed by beverages is high due to the extensive amount of usage of
single-use plastics. This poses a threat to a rise in plastic pollution in the
ocean which would, in turn, contribute to climate change.
1.3 Purpose statement
The purpose of this
proposal is to suggest solutions to reduce plastic usage from beverage stalls
in Singapore.
References:
Geddie, J. (2018,
June 08) In Singapore, where trash becomes ash, plastics are still a
problem.
Retrieved October 28,
2019, from
Lacy, P., Spindler,
W., McAndrew, C.(2019, January 25) Plastic is a global problem. It’s also a
global opportunity. World Economic Forum.
Retrieved October 28,
2019, from
Ministry of the
Environment and Water Resources (MEWR). (n.d.). Incineration.
Retrieved October 28,
2019, from
National Environment
Agency. (n.d.) Singapore Packaging Agreement.
Retrieved October 28,
2019, from
Singapore Environment
Council. (2018, August). Consumer Plastic and Plastic Resource Ecosystem in
Singapore.
Retrieved October 28,
2019, from
Sriring, O. (2018,
June 3) Plastic bags jam stomach of dead pilot whale in Thailand.
Retrieved October 28,
2019, from
United Nations
Environment Programme (2017, September). Towards a Pollution-Free Planet
Background Report. United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, Kenya.
Retrieved October 28,
2019, from
ZeroWaste SG. (2018,
October 22) Singapore’s First Guide For Rating F&B Retailers On Their
Efforts To Reduce Plastic Disposables.
Retrieved October 28,
2019, from
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