Commentary: Why does Singapore still lack a recycling ethos?

However, the country is currently experiencing a waste “epidemic”. Singapore's recycling rate has sat at a constant low. According to the ... 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Aswemovetowardsamuchmoregreenconsciousness–withtheGovernmenttakingthelead-thisisagoodtimetoaskwhySingaporelagsfarbehindAsiancounterpartswhenitcomestosortingourwaste,asksNUS’TongYenWah BluerecyclingbinwithnewlabeldesignunveiledonFriday,Aug30,2019,atthelaunchofZeroWasteMasterplanpicturednextto800Super'sbluerecyclingtruck.(Photo:DariusBoey) TongYenWah TongYenWah 03Mar202106:02AM (Updated:03Mar202106:10AM) Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn SINGAPORE:Havingatraditionofbeingrespectfultolawandgovernmentexpectations,SingaporehassucceededinreiningintheCOVID-19situation.However,thecountryiscurrentlyexperiencingawaste“epidemic”.Singapore’srecyclingratehassatataconstantlow.AccordingtotheNationalEnvironmentAgency(NEA),thedomesticrecyclingratefellfrom22percentin2018to17percentin2019.Thisisdespiteproactiveattemptsbyregulatoryauthoritiestoincreasethenumbers.Theseattemptshaveincludeda“ZeroWaste”schemewhichimprovescollectionservicesofrecyclablewasteaswellasincentivestructurestoencouragerecycling. READ: INFOCUS:'Itisnoteasy,butitcanbedone'-ThechallengesofraisingSingapore'srecyclingrate Recyclingcompaniesandenvironmentalactivistshavealsobeenfairlyactiveinpromotinginitiativesandprovidingpubliceducationaboutthebenefitsofrecycling.Despitetheseefforts,whyhasthenationnotyetformedastrongrecyclingethos? Arecitizenssimplyunawareofthebenefitsofrecycling?Asurveyweconductedin2016revealedthatamajorityofSingaporeansexpressedstrongsupportforenvironmentalcauses. Perhapstheissuemayliemorewiththehighlyconvenientmeansthroughwhichresidentsdisposetheirwaste. READ: Commentary:Weareonthecuspofaplasticrecyclingrevolution GAPSINRECYCLINGWASTEThecentralisedrefusechute(CRC),atypicalmainstayofmostHDBflatsandhigh-risecondominiums,permitsresidentstodisposewasteinthecomfortoftheirownhomes.Theeaseofdoingsolikelydiscouragesresidentsfromexpendingadditionaleffortbringingdowntheirrecyclablesanddepositingtheminthebrightbluerecyclingbins.Acommonrefraincomesfromatypicalcommentlikethisonefromalocalresident:“If(thereare)bulkyitemslikecarboardsorbigcontainers,Iwillbringdowntoputinthebluebins,butsmallitemslikesmallbottles/glass,Iwilljustthrowthemfromthechute…tootroublesometogodownstairstorecyclethem.”TheCRCisauniquelySingaporeansystemdesignedtoenableeaseofwastedisposalratherthaneaseofrecycling. READ: Commentary:Recyclingbinsareforrecyclables,notjunk Trashinrecyclingbin.(Photo:TODAY)AtrashbininSingapore.(Photo:TODAY) Suchadisposalsystem,accessedfromthecomfortsofyourownhome,israrelyfoundinothercitiesaroundtheworld.InJapan,TaiwanandSouthKoreaforinstance,residentsinhigh-riseshavetobringtheirwastetocentraldisposalbinsongroundlevelwhereitcanbecollectedbywastecollectors.Compoundingtheissuearecommonmisconceptionsaboutwhatcanandcannotberecycled.Thisisproblematicgivenhowmixinginnon-recyclablewastecancounter-productivelyreducetheefficiencyofthewasterecyclingprocess. READ: Contaminationofrecyclables,incorrectrecyclingamongpossiblefactorsforSingapore’slowdomesticrecyclingrate:Experts Itisnotthatwedon’trecycle–NEAfiguresshowthatoverhalfofSingaporeansengageinrecyclingpracticesregularlybuttheydonothaveanexhaustiveknowledgeofwhatcanberecycledorhowtodisposeoftherecyclablesproperly.Somemisconceptionsremainbecausethereisnoimmediatefeedbackorcorrectiveactiontorectifywrongpractices.Forinstance,whenrecyclingbottles,theyhavetobewashedfirstandthenplacedinabin,butthisisnotusuallydone.Themixingoffoodwasteintoarecyclablesbinwouldrendertheentirebinunrecyclable.Asimpleexampleisagreasypizzaboxthrowninwithcleancardboardboxes,orhalf-emptysoftdrinkbottlesmixedwithemptyplasticbottles. AhealthpamphletaboutCOVID-19isseeninarecyclingbinatBillyBishopAirportinToronto,Ontario,Canada,Mar17,2020.(Photo:Reuters/ChrisHelgren)FILEPHOTO:Ahealthpamphletaboutnovelcoronavirusdisease(COVID-19)isseeninarecyclingbinatBillyBishopAirportinToronto,Ontario,CanadaMarch17,2020.REUTERS/ChrisHelgren Thefinalgapishowdespitetakingthecaretosortwaste,duringcollection,itseemsthatalltypesofwastearetransportedandprocessedfordisposalinthesamemanner.Singaporeans,inletterstonewspapersorinonlineforums,havenoticedthatrecyclingtrucksonlyhaveonecompartmentforallrecyclableseventhoughmanyrecyclingbinshaveseparateopeningsandbinsforglass,paperandmetalcans.Inthissituation,itwouldappearthatthehardworkinseparatingtheserecyclablesintothecorrectreceptaclearewastedwhenthecollectorsthenputallofthemtogetherinthesamecollectiontruck.Itisnotwidelyknownthatthistypeof“single-streamrecycling”,asitiscommonlydonenowadays,takesmixedrecyclablestoMaterialsRecoveryFacilitieswheretheyarethensortedintothedifferentcategoriesofglass,plastic,paper,metalsandmore. SIGNUP:ForCNA’s Commentary weeklynewslettertoexploreissuesbeyondtheheadlines WHATCANWELEARNFROMOTHERSIsSingaporehittingaglassceilingintheenvironmentalgoalswecanaccomplishfromvoluntaryrecycling?Lookingoutwards,mostofourAsianneighbourshaveresortedtoastrictenforcementofpolicymeasurestoboostrecyclingrates.Japanmaybeanidealcasestudyforhowtocultivatearobustrecyclingculture;ittoo,startedoffbyregulatingandenforcingwastemanagementandrecyclingpolices. READ: Commentary:Recyclingmakesyoufeellessguiltybutdoesn’tchangehowhugeourplasticproblemis InthecaseofSouthKorea,theyintroducedaunitpricingstrategyforhouseholdwaste,knownastheVolume-basedWasteFeeSystem.Residentswererequiredtopurchasestandardplasticbagsforresidualdisposalwhererecyclablesarecollectedatnoextracharge. OnJuly1,ShanghailaunchedChina'smostambitiousgarbageseparationandrecyclingprogrammeeverAFP/HECTORRETAMAL Therecyclingrateincreaseddrastically,drivenbymarket-basedincentives.Inadditiontotheseefforts,SouthKoreaalsolaunchedacompulsoryfoodwasterecyclingprogrammein2013. Today,thecountry’sfoodwasterecyclingratehaspeakedat95percent,asharpincreasecomparedtoits2percentin1995.InChina,Shanghaihasalsostartedtomandaterecyclingpracticesinthemiddleof2019.Actsofnoncompliancewouldbemetwithafineofupto200yuan(S$40). READ: Commentary:Whyrecycling,lesssingle-useplasticsarenottheanswerstoourplasticscourge Enforcementcameintheformofsurveillancecameras,alongsideanarmyofvolunteerswhoassistedwiththepolicy’simplementationacrossmanyresidentialestates. TakingapageoutfromJapan’splaybook,thecity’srecyclablecollectionwasalsoconductedatfixedtimingsofthedayandatfixedlocationswithintheresidentialestate.Shanghai’spolicyimplementationwasnotwithouthiccups.Thepolicy,requiringcitizenstobringtheirrecyclablestoassignedcollectionpoints,waslargelyviewedasanunnecessaryhassle.Citizenscameupwithaneasy-to-followPeppaPigversionforwastesorting.Householdfoodwastereferstowhatisedibleforthepig,whereasresidualwastesarethenon-edibleones.Hazardouswastewouldpoisonthepigtodeath.Recyclablesarethingsyoucansellformoneytopurchasemorepigs. READ: Commentary:Wastefulpracticesofaffluencemuststop EventhoughShanghaihaswaystogobeforetheycatchupwithJapanandSouthKorea’srecyclingrate,theimprovementsachievedinsuchashortperiodarenothingshortofremarkable.AsSingaporecontinuestodevelopandurbanise,wasteaccumulationwillcontinuetobeagrowingproblem.TheavailabilityofsolutionsinneighbouringcountriesshouldgalvaniseSingaporetostarttakingbiggerstepsinpursuitofmoreeffectivewastemanagementstrategies.Inourcurrentresearch,weexploretheuseofinterventionstonudgeresidentsintoadoptingpositivewasterecyclingbehaviours.MuchlikehowourcollectiveeffortsofmaskwearingandsocialdistancinghaveenabledustostemthespreadofCOVID-19,mightwealsobeabletodedicateourselvestothenoblecauseofprotectingourenvironment?Wethinkwecan,bytakingafirststeptosortandrecycleourwaste.Listentoaconversationaboutrecycling, repairinge-wasteandthechallengesofaconsumeristcultureonCNA'sHeartoftheMatterpodcast:TongYenWahisanAssociateProfessorattheChemicalandBiomolecularEngineering,NationalUniversityofSingapore.  Source:CNA/cr RelatedTopics sustainability Advertisement Alsoworthreading Contentisloading... 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