Singapore's yearly waste weighs the same as 530,000 double-decker buses, and that's not sustainable: Masagos

Michelle Ng Straits Times 13 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE - Singapore generated 7.7 million tonnes of waste last year, equivalent to the weight of 530,000 double-decker buses. It is an amount that is not sustainable in the long run, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli.

In addition to reducing waste and moving towards a more sustainable consumption, adopting a circular economy approach in the way Singapore use its resources is key, he added.

"Our vision is to turn our trash into treasure and reuse and recycle our resources for as long as possible," said Mr Masagos, during his address on Saturday (April 13) at the public screening of Closing the Loop, a documentary on the circular economy - an economic system that aims to minimise and transform waste into resources.

He stressed that the amount of waste disposed of in Singapore has jumped seven times over the last 40 years and that Semakau landfill is projected to run out of space by 2035.

The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources' $45 million Closing the Waste Loop R&D initiative launched in 2017, which funds projects that adopt circular economy approaches, is one solution, he added.

But, at the individual level, more can be done in homes to close the waste loop. He cited composting, a process that converts food waste into a nutrient-rich material that can be used to fertilise edible plants and veggies, as an example.

"If enough of us do this, we can reduce the number of rubbish trucks needed to transport our rubbish to the incinerator. This will reduce carbon emissions and help mitigate climate change. In short, there are immense possibilities to make a difference," said Mr Masagos.

Organised by Keppel Group in support of Earth Day 2019, the public screening of the full-length documentary saw over 1,000 people turning up at the Eco Lake Lawn in Singapore Botanic Gardens on Saturday (April 13).

The award-winning documentary highlights examples from around the world on innovative applications of technology, process improvements and labour solutions to reduce waste and pollution using circular economy solutions.

Keppel Land's chief executive Mr Tan Swee Yiow, who was present at the screening, said: "A circular economy is beneficial as it places less demand for natural resources. The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources has designated 2019 as Singapore's Year Towards Zero Waste, and this screening is timely, in support of efforts to raise awareness of the need to conserve resources."

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Malaysia: Johor fishermen in dire straits

remar nordin The Star 13 Apr 19;

KOTA TINGGI: Fishermen from Kampung Baru Sungai Telor here have lost their source of daily income due to the ammonia pollution in Sungai Sayong.

The affected 30 said they cannot fish at Ulu Sungai Johor, the downstream part of Sungai Sayong, now and that hundreds of fishes had died due to the pollution, affecting their livelihood.

They said they noticed the condition last week, when the fishes were swimming to the riverbank.

Mohd Jumadi Poniman, 58, said hundreds of fishes were also seen floating in the river.

“The fishermen are at a loss over what to do. Their source of income has been affected by some irresponsible people’s action,” he said.

Mohd Jumadi, popularly known as Wak among the villagers, said this incident was the third so far this year.

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Squid beaks, plastic debris among contents found in Jurong Island sperm whale’s belly: Study

Fann Sim Channel NewsAsia 12 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE: Jubi Lee, the 10.6m female sperm whale that was found off the coast of Jurong Island in 2015, lived on a diet of squid, a study has shown.

Researchers from the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum found more than 1,800 beaks from at least 25 cephalopod species, mainly squids, in the whale's belly. There were also remains of fish, a mud lobster, and several "peculiar" bioluminescent animals known as pyrosomes.

Jubi Lee's belly also contained plastic drinking cups, food wrappers and a plastic bag, the study led by museum mammal researcher Marcus Chua concluded.

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NEA closely monitoring air quality in Singapore after explosion at Johor oil and gas facility

Channel NewsAsia 12 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE: The 24-hour PSI levels in Singapore remained in the low-moderate range, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said, after an explosion at the Petronas oil and gas facility in Johor on Friday (Apr 12) left two injured.

The blast at the Pengerang Integrated Complex happened around 1.25am, Petronas confirmed in a statement on Twitter.

It added on Friday afternoon that the fire had occurred at the facility's Atmospheric Residue Desulphurisation (ARDS) unit, which was currently under the commissioning stage.

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Malaysia: Fire at Petronas' RAPID oil refinery quickly tamed

Joseph Sipalan Reuters 12 Apr 19;

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A fire was brought under control early on Friday after an explosion at a Malaysian oil refinery being developed by state oil firm Petronas, which was testing its facilities ahead of planned commercial operations later this year.

RAPID, or Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development, will anchor the Pengerang Integrated Complex (PIC) and is Petronas’ biggest domestic investment, made in a 50-50 partnership with Saudi Arabia’s state-owned Saudi Aramco.

The explosion and fire occurred at about 1:25 a.m. on Friday (1725 GMT on Thursday) at the plant’s atmospheric residue desulphurisation unit (ARDS), which is in its commissioning stage, Petronas said in an updated statement.

Petronas said there were no fatalities caused by the explosion and fire. The fire was contained within 30 minutes, it had said earlier.

“We wish to assure members of the public that the situation is under control and there is no health related risk to this incident,” the company said in its latest statement.

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Indonesia: BBKSDA confirms ensnared Sumatran tiger on path to recovery

Antara 12 Apr 19;

The snare wounds are healing at a good rate, and it seems that new tissue has started to grow over them,
Pekanbaru (ANTARA) - A Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris) that had suffered grave injury in the left leg after being trapped in a hunters' snare is showing signs of recovery, according to Riau's Center for Natural Resources Conservation (BBKSDA).

"The snare wounds are healing at a good rate, and it seems that new tissue has started to grow over them," Head of Riau BBKSDA Suharyono remarked in Pekanbaru on Friday.

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Best of our wild blogs: 12 Apr 19

14 Apr: Registration opens for Sisters Islands Intertidal walks in May 2019
Celebrating Singapore Shores!

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Malaysia, Johor: Explosion at Pengerang Integrated Complex

The Star 12 Apr 19;

KUALA LUMPUR: A fire and explosion occurred early Friday morning at the Pengerang Integrated Complex in Johor.

According to a statement by Petronas, the incident took place at 1.25am whereby an emergency and fire response team was deployed and contained the fire within 30 minutes.

"The situation is under control and all relevant authorities have been informed," it said.

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Record seizures of pangolin scales: Smugglers ‘exploiting Singapore’s efficient ports’

NEO CHAI CHIN Today Online 10 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE — Two massive seizures here of pangolin scales in less than a week show that transnational organised networks are exploiting Singapore’s efficient ports, said wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic on Wednesday (April 10).

Commending the seizure of the shipments, Traffic senior communications officer Elizabeth John said the Singapore authorities need to work with the international community to uncover the criminals behind them.

“This should be the next line of inquiry for investigators,” said Ms John, who is based in Malaysia. “From previous cases, it is clearly the result of organised networks.”

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Video of pigeon culling in Hougang ‘an outright case of cruelty’: Acres

SHERLYN SEAH Today Online 10 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE — Animal welfare group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) has filed a report with the National Parks Board (NParks) requesting that the agency investigate what it claims to be the improper handling of birds.

A video posted on Acres’ Facebook page on Tuesday (April 9) showed workers outside Hougang MRT station feeding poison to pigeons to sedate them, before bagging the birds in trash bags and disposing of them.

The birds are seen flapping around weakly on the ground, with some still alive and moving in the trash bags.

Responding to TODAY’s queries, Acres said that this was “an outright case of cruelty”, noting that culling is an “alarming” islandwide concern not limited to Hougang and has been in practice for over a decade.

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Malaysia: Tasik Chini gazetted as permanent forest reserve

Bernama New Straits Times 10 Apr 19;

PEKAN: The Pahang state government has gazetted an area of 4,900 hectares in Tasik Chini as a permanent forest reserve, compatible with its site as a biosphere reserve area as previously declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 2009.

Pahang State Forestry Department director Datuk Dr Mohd Hizamri Mohd Yasin said the matter was decided at the State Government Council Meeting on March 6 and as such the area would be protected from any other land use activities including mining and logging.

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Indonesia: Tourists check out early from Batam resorts after oil found on beaches

Fadli The Jakarta Post 10 Apr 19;

Beaches near Nongsa resorts in Batam, Riau Islands, have been covered with a thick film of stinky, black oil since Tuesday, forcing foreign tourists staying at the resorts along the beaches to check out earlier than planned or cancel their stay.

Similar incidents occurred three times in 2018, resort management company PT Citramas Group spokesperson Nara Dewa told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

The resorts affected by the black oil are Nongsa Point Marina, Nongsa Village and Turi Beach Resort.

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