Draft #2 Technical Report on Waste Management
2. Proposed solutions
The team researched the current happenings in other countries and found that some of the solutions can also be applied in the context of Singapore to encourage the reduced use of plastic as a material for beverages.
2.1 Dispenser-Type Beverages
2.1.1 Dispenser for packaged drinks
Evian (2019) has officially revealed their new product called “Evian (re)new”. This new product is a dispenser-styled “water appliance” that dispense water designed for home use. It contains a 5-litre water container that will sag after water is dispensed. This new design is notable as the water container is made with “100% recycled plastic” and can be totally recycled. When compared to the traditional 1.5-litre water bottle also made by Evian, it uses two-thirds lesser plastic to produce.
PepsiCo (2019) has launched a new “hydration platform” in the form of a smart dispenser. The consumer will bring their own bottle/container to the smart dispenser, then the dispenser will scan the consumer’s unique QR code and dispense according to the consumer’s choice. As the smart dispenser system uses QR code, it will remember the consumer’s preferences. It will also automatically track the daily consumption of fluids by the number of refills and the reduced “environmental impacts” by using the system.
In Singapore, there is no such initiative currently. As such, the team recommends Singapore to adopt this for research of feasibility.
2.1.2 Dispenser for Hawker Centre-styled setting
In some of Singapore’s hawker center, there exist dispensers for common drinks like hot coffee and tea. The drinks operator will make the drink in bulk, then they will put it in the dispenser and consumers fill their own cup whenever they want to. The use of such dispensers for beverages in stores can help to reduce stress on Singapore’s plastic problem by encouraging consumers to use their own containers and reduce the need for unnecessary packaging.
2.2 Rental cups
The current beverage stalls normally provide a plastic cup when a consumer makes a purchase. Mahmud (2019) stated that “A new service recently launched in Singapore wants to replace single-use plastic in takeaways with reusable cups and containers that customers can rent technically for free.” With such service availability, consumers do not need to bring their own cup and are still reducing the use of plastic.
2.3 Using sustainable material as alternative
2.3.1 Glass (for bottles)
Glass bottles could be an alternative material for bottled drinks. Opting for glass as a replacement would be feasible as there are many benefits it brings. Firstly, glass is fully recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without degrading its value. Next, a massive amount of natural resources are saved for every ton of glass that is recycled. Lastly, recycled glass is substituted for up to 95% of raw materials.
According to one of our group mate’s experience, the restaurant she worked at previously reused all the chilli bottles instead of throwing them away and replacing them with new ones. Every night, there will be a staff assigned to wash the chilli bottles that were almost empty and would then refill with a new batch of chilli from the can.
2.3.2 Stainless steel (for straw)
Stainless steel is versatile yet one of the most environmentally friendly materials. Stainless steel is corrosion-resistant, durable, have high-recycled content and recapture rates, provides long service life and reduces resource use. Even if stainless steels are not recycled, they would not have any damaging effects on the soil or groundwater of the landfill.
3. Benefits proposed solutions
3.1 Dispenser-Type Beverages
The use of dispensers encourages people to store their favourite beverage in their own bottles. It reduces the need for plastic bottles to be manufactured for the beverages. Also, plastic bottles and cups’ usage will decrease, hence providing savings for businesses.
Beverages that normally comes in bottle form can now switch to syrup form and install in the dispenser. This will not only cut down the plastic bottle usage and also help the consumer to have a good habit of bringing their own cup all the time. Such dispensers allow better efficiency because customers will no longer require another person to get the drinks for them.
3.2 Rental Cups/containers
Rental cups/containers allow customers to patronize stores that only provide disposables takeaway without producing packaging wastage. This is good as the savings on the packaging can be utilized elsewhere. Also, reduce the hassle for consumers to bring their own cups/containers which encourages the consumers’ participation.
3.3 Using sustainable material
Glass bottles can be reused and recycled, this creates an ecosystem where glass can be used multiple times and provide convenience to users at the same time. The amount of energy used by reusing a glass bottle is lesser than recycling plastic waste, which makes it more environmentally friendly.
Aluminum and steel are metals that can be used to make cups and straws respectively. Metals are known to be durable and can last a long time in terms of wear and tear. Thus, the use of aluminum cans and steel straws can reduce the need for manufacturing plastic for beverages in the long term.
4. Limitations of proposed solutions
4.1 Dispenser-Type Beverages
In today’s throw-away culture, such practice of utilizing our own bottles for beverages is uncommon. Thus it might be a hassle for consumers to bring their own bottles if they do not have the habit of doing so. Evian Re(new) adopts the same way as to how a normal water cooler dispenser works where the water is replaced per container. However, the container is not easily purchasable, unlike the water cooler dispenser where there are many different companies to purchase from.
It is only limited to homemade drinks such as milo and coffee. This might also lead to uneven mixture over a period of time and difficulties in maintaining the temperature. A consumer might abuse the rule by taking more than what they paid for. The last challenge that will be faced is the ability to tell whether it is empty.
As compared to noncarbonated drinks, carbonated drinks require a carbon dioxide tank (CO2 tank) to produce the carbonated effect. A CO2 tank that contains 31kg of carbon dioxide can last up to 3 months depending on usage. This will also require additional manpower to replace the CO2 tank.
4.2 Rental Cups
The system of having cups and containers for rent requires huge logistic work. Furthermore, it relies heavily on users to follow the practices. Customers might not be able to return the item on time and in good condition. As this system is currently not implemented widely, users might not be able to have access to the system. This makes it inconvenient for visitors to make a trip to return the item.
Also, the system is prone to abuse, people might not treat the items with care and will result in problems such as the lack of proper sanitation which might cause other users to suffer from food-related illnesses.
4.3 Sustainable material as an alternative
Even though glass is superior in terms of the amount of carbon footprint it leaves behind, there are some drawbacks that make plastic more preferable as compared to glass. Some drawbacks are weight and fragility. Glass generally weighs heavier than plastic which means more trips are required when transporting packaged goods which would lead to larger environmental impact. To add on, glass has the tendency of breaking easily. This means if a glass bottle is knocked over, it would leave a mess behind and it would be dangerous due to the small fragments.
Since stainless steel, it is a good conductor to heat, the straws made from stainless steel cannot be used for hot drinks. Also, stainless steel straws might pose a hygiene problem if it is not cleaned properly. As straws are long in nature, it will be difficult to reach the inner side of the middle section of straw when washing.
References:
Evian. (2019, April 15). Evian Launches Evian (Re)new – An In-Home Natural Mineral Water Appliance Featuring “Breakthrough” Sustainable Design. [Press release]
Retrieved October 31, 2019, from
Mahmud, A.h. (2019, January 23). New service aims to cut out single-use plastic from takeaways, rent out containers for free. Channel News Asia.
Retrieved October 31, 2019, from
PepsiCo. (2019, April 24). PepsiCo Goes Beyond the Bottle with New, Mobile-Enabled Hydration Platform.
Retrieved October 31, 2019, from
Yalcinkaya, G. (2019, April 20). Evian to launch collapsible “bubble” to combat plastic waste. Dezeen.
Retrieved October 31, 2019, from
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