January 27, 2015 by Zero Waste Singapore
By Alice Chia, Channel NewsAsia, 22 Jan 2015
More people are recycling their electronic waste, with companies involved in such programmes observing an increase in the amount of recyclables collected.
According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), about 60,000 tonnes of such electronic waste are generated every year – equivalent to the weight of 160 Boeing 747 jets. Items include unwanted television sets, printers and computers.
Half of it comes from households and the rest from industry, such as information and communications technology equipment from industrial sectors.
Source: Channel NewsAsia
Tags: E-waste, electronic waste, NEA
30% rise in demand for second-hand goods: Salvation Army [News]
By Vimita Mohandas, Channel NewsAsia, 2 Jan 2015
The Salvation Army, which operates family thrift stores as part of its mission to provide holistic care to those in need, said it has seen a 30 per cent rise in demand for second-hand goods over the last five years.
The stores, which are run by Salvation Army's social enterprise arm – Red Shield Industries – help to re-use, recycle and restore donations in kind from the public and corporations. The income generated is used to help the less fortunate.
The increase in demand for the second-hand goods could be due to donors giving away more sophisticated and pricier goods, compared to donations in the past which tended to be mostly clothes.
Tags: Salvation Army, second-hand goods, Thrift stores
Experts call for more to be done to tackle food waste [News]
By Valerie Koh, TODAY, 27 Nov 2014
Up to one-third of food produced globally for human consumption is lost or wasted. In South Asia and South-east Asia, 414 calories from food produced for human consumption end up uneaten per person each day. But even in the face of these glaring World Bank statistics, countries around the region continue to lack the political will to address this, said a former food security researcher at S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
Speaking at a dialogue at the Responsible Business Forum on Sustainable Development yesterday, Ms Sally Trethewie said there is a lack of a policy framework targeting food loss and waste in the region. "Perhaps one clever way to go about it is to make food loss and waste synonymous with food security," she said. "For so long, the focus has always been on food security and producing enough food to feed us."
Source: TODAY
Tags: Food waste
NEA launches 'no waste days' challenge [News]
By Amanda Lee, TODAY, 8 Nov 2014
To tackle the increasing amount of waste generated in the Republic, the National Environment Agency (NEA) has launched a No Waste Days Challenge to encourage the public to reduce waste and benefit the environment and community.
Launched today (Nov 8) in conjunction with this year's Clean & Green Singapore campaign, participants of the challenge can choose any day from now till June 30 next year to make an effort not to waste food, and reduce their use of disposables. The NEA hopes to reach up to 50,000 "No Waste Days" by then.
Tags: NEA, No Waste Days
It is time for Singapore to reduce plastic disposables
Filed under Insights
We think it's time for MEWR and NEA to look seriously into policies and regulations to reduce plastic disposables. What are the government's plans and targets to reduce (or phase out) the use of plastic disposables over time?
Here's some suggestions:
1) Expand the role and framework of the current Singapore Packaging Agreement to include plastic disposables, or set up a similar Governing Board or committee to look into plastic disposables holistically.
2) Engage and consult with the 3P (People, Private and Public) sectors to identify the key disposable plastics that should be phased out over time. Set a timeline on the eventual ban of those key plastic items but allow time for the industry and retailers to switch to more environmentally friendly alternatives.
3) Provide more data and info on the greener alternatives to plastic disposables such as comparison of environmental impacts and costs in the local context. Provide incentives and guidelines to help retailers switch to greener alternatives. Consumers and businesses must be given the right info and help to make the right choice.
What do you think? Share your thoughts with us!
Tags: Bottled water, disposable cutlery, disposable plastics, Disposable utensils, Plastic disposables, Singapore Packaging Agreement, styrofoam, takeaway containers