Channel NewsAsia 8 Jun 19;
SINGAPORE: More than 1,600 premises, including restaurants, malls, hotels, supermarkets and schools, will take steps to encourage consumers to reduce the use of disposables such as plastic bags and takeaway containers.
They come under 59 companies and organisations that have joined the National Environment Agency's (NEA) latest campaign launched on Saturday (Jun 8), to get people to cut down on waste and choose more sustainable alternatives.
Companies will implement initiatives such as providing only reusable straws, offering discounts to customers who bring their own cup for drinks, removing plastic bottled water in meeting rooms and reducing the use of cling wrap in kitchens.
"Singaporeans in general are consuming disposables excessively," said Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor at the launch of the campaign.
"The issue really is not what type of disposables is used. But instead, we should look at how to reduce or avoid the use of disposables as much as possible. And to choose or opt to use reusables where we can."
The partners’ commitments cover a range of actions, such as displaying the Say YES to Waste Less campaign visuals.
The Say YES to Waste Less campaign, in line with Singapore's Year Towards Zero Waste this year, was launched at IKEA Tampines on Saturday.
IKEA was the first retailer in Singapore to completely remove disposable plastic shopping bags from its store in 2013.
In 2019, it removed plastic straws from its restaurants and by the end of this year, the Swedish furniture giant plans to stop the sale of single-use bottled water. It will instead sell water in recyclable tetra packs.
By the end of 2019, IKEA plans to remove single-use bottled water from its Swedish Food Markets and, instead, sell water in recyclable tetra packs.
NEA said the 1,600 premises that are part of the campaign can reach out to "millions of consumers".
At ibis Singapore on Bencoolen, the hotel has replaced the use of plastic bottled water with refillable "eco bottles". It will also reduce the use of cling wrap in the kitchen by 50 per cent and replace them with reusable containers from December.
Fairmont, on the other hand, will phase out single-use shower amenity bottles in guest rooms by 2020.
Schools have come on board as well. Nanyang Girls High School, for instance, has partnered Kung Fu Tea at Hillion Mall to implement a discount of S$0.10 to consumers who bring their own cup.
Supermarkets such as Cold Storage, Market Place and FairPrice have offered shoppers reward points and rebates for using reusable bags.
Major food and beverage outlets such as McDonald's and 4FINGERS, which are also part of the campaign, have been putting up notices on their straw dispensers to nudge customers into skipping straws.
Such efforts are not new. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) announced earlier this week that more than 270 food and beverage outlets in Singapore will phase out plastic straws by Jul 1.
According to NEA, packaging waste, including plastics, make up about one-third of domestic waste disposed of in Singapore.
In 2018, about 164,500 tonnes of domestic waste were disposables, enough to fill about 300 Olympic-size swimming pools.
At the current rate of waste disposal, Singapore will need one landfill every 30 to 35 years, said NEA.
It added: "As Singapore is short of land, there is a need to encourage the adoption of a more sustainable lifestyle and the avoidance of excessive consumption. The support of the public, businesses and NGOs is key to successfully reducing the use of disposables."
Source: CNA/ic(gs)
Supermarkets and schools among 1,600 premises to reduce use of disposables
Calvin Yang Straits Times 8 Jun 19;
SINGAPORE - More than 1,600 premises - including food and beverage establishments, hotels, schools and supermarkets - will be encouraging the community to reduce the use of disposables such as plastic bags and takeaway containers over the next three months.
They come under 59 organisations that have joined a nationwide National Environment Agency campaign to get the public to choose reusable options.
Initiatives include displaying campaign visuals at cashier points, prompting customers to opt out of receiving disposable cutlery with online orders, and removing bottled water from meeting rooms.
Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor launched the Say Yes to Waste Less campaign at Ikea Tampines on Saturday (June 8).
"Our collective efforts to conserve our resources today will pave the way towards a sustainable environment for future generations," she said.
The campaign, which is in line with Singapore's Year Towards Zero Waste this year, aims to raise awareness of the need to reduce waste.
Last year, about 164,500 tonnes of domestic waste in Singapore was made up of disposables - enough to fill about 300 Olympic-size swimming pools.
She added that people may have started using paper-based disposables, such as paper bags and cups, or oxo-degradable options, as they perceive these to be eco-friendly alternatives to plastic-based disposables. "However, the fact is that the production and disposal of all materials have some degree of impact on the environment," she explained.
Some partners have already started their own initiatives, such as having cashiers prompt customers to consider using reusable bags and providing incentives to customers who bring reusable containers and bottles.
Among them is Nanyang Girls' High School, which partnered bubble tea chain Kung Fu Tea in Hillion Mall this year to implement a discount of 10 cents for customers who bring their own cup. The school intends to extend its efforts to other outlets and retailers.
Mr Benny Koh, the teacher in charge of environmental education at the school, said students contribute by designing publicity materials such as posters to urge customers to bring their own cups and bottles, which in turn cuts down the use of plastics.
Hotels under the Accor Group have also come up with their own initiatives to encourage guests to waste less. These include replacing single-use amenity bottles with multi-use dispensers for bathroom amenities in guest rooms.
Ms Gaynor Reid, vice-president for communications and corporate social responsibility, Asia Pacific, at AccorHotels, said its efforts go towards helping guests understand the importance of protecting the environment. "When people understand the reasons behind it, they get on board."
Earlier this month, it was reported that more than 270 food and beverage outlets will stop providing plastic straws from July 1, in a major step to reduce plastic waste in the local F&B sector.
The outlets will provide straws to customers only on request or for specific medical reasons, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said. The move is part of a voluntary WWF initiative called Plastic Action (Pact), where businesses commit to reduce the amount of unnecessary plastics used.
