Cert scheme boosts eco-friendly approach but getting tenants to adopt measures still a struggle
Grace Chua & Goh Kai Shi Straits Times 28 Jan 11;
SINGAPORE'S foodcourts, hawker centres and coffee shops are being offered the chance to get themselves certified eco-friendly - but will they bite?
Last week, the Singapore Environment Council launched a certification scheme for communal-dining establishments that manage waste and energy well.
To get the certificate, they must have eco-friendly measures in place - including water-saving devices on taps, recycling bins in staff areas, and sustainable takeaway boxes.
Council executive director Howard Shaw wants a hundred outlets certified by the end of this year. Right now, two are: Kopitiam foodcourt at City Square Mall in Little India, and The Deck foodcourt at the National University of Singapore.
But beyond saving the earth, it may not be clear what incentive there is for communal-dining establishments to get the stamp of environmental approval.
Even if they adopt measures like food-waste recycling and use biodegradable takeaway boxes, getting tenants to put them into practice may be an uphill task.
And although hawker centres are eligible for the scheme, the National Environment Agency (NEA) - which runs most of them - has not yet signed up. The agency did not say whether it would start using the scheme at its 106 hawker centres in future. It said it works with various organisations and businesses to help minimise waste, save energy and recycle.
The Kopitiam foodcourt chain has yet to commit to certifying more outlets, said spokesman Goh Wee Ling. She said it is easier to implement measures right from the start at new outlets than ask tenants at existing ones to start doing it.
The push for greater sustainability comes from Kopitiam rather than from customers or tenants, Mrs Goh added. However, being more sustainable can allow tenants to cut operating costs by 15 per cent to 20 per cent - by using less energy and water.
Kopitiam customers The Straits Times spoke to felt the green scheme was a good thing, but said it would not affect their decision to eat there. Administrative executive Shannon Tan, 29, said the quality of the food was more important.
Koufu spokesman Lena Ong said only its Marina Bay Sands foodcourt, Rasapura Masters, uses energy-saving measures and eco-friendly packaging. It plans to introduce similar measures in new outlets opening later in the year.
But even if foodcourts and hawker centres bring in ways to recycle food and other waste, it can be hard to get tenants to actually use them. Biogas firm IUT Global, which turns organic waste into gas burned for energy, conducted an ill-fated food-waste recycling experiment with five hawker centres. It could barely get busy hawkers and cleaners to sort food waste properly, particularly at peak periods.
'At the end of 10 months, we just gave up,' said IUT Global CEO Edwin Khew.
Hawkers are often held back from recycling by practical concerns such as space. Casting a glance at her cramped sugarcane-juice stall, Bukit Timah Food Centre stall helper Jasmine Chua, 48, said: 'If they ask us to separate our food waste, where are we to put it?'
At Yuhua Village Market and Food Centre, a pneumatic food-waste collection system goes unused because stallholders worry it could slow down service and increase the cost of maintenance and electricity, Lianhe Zaobao reported earlier this month.
The NEA, which piloted the system with Jurong Town Council, said the council had briefed stallholders on its use and advantages on Monday.
About the scheme
Straits Times 28 Jan 11;
WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
Any food and drinks establishment that features multiple vendors and a common area for self-service dining.
WHAT DO THEY NEED TO HAVE?
# An environmental management system.
# Water-saving devices at water points.
# Recycling bins with waste segregation.
# Sustainable takeaway containers only.
# Re-usable crockery, cutlery and cups.
# Green Label-marked cleaning products.
# Energy audit, natural light and ventilation, energy-efficient appliances.
# At least a stall offering vegetarian food.
# Environmental messages in foodcourt.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
$2,000 for first certification (including audit fee), valid for one year. Subsequent renewals are $1,000 a year.
