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Showing posts with the label plastic-bags

Biodegradable plastic alternatives not necessarily better for Singapore, say experts

Ang Hwee Min Channel NewsAsia 9 Sep 19; SINGAPORE: You might think that switching from single use plastics to biodegradable plastic alternatives is good for the environment but in Singapore, there are �no effective differences�, experts said. They often end up in the same place - the incinerator, said Associate Professor Tong Yen Wah from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Biodegradable plastic wastes make a difference to the environment only when they are buried in landfills, he added. �In these situations, these plastic bags can degrade faster as compared to a regular polyethylene plastic bag and will not affect the environment as much. Overall for Singapore, it might even be more expensive to incinerate biodegradable plastics," said Assoc Prof Tong.He explained that this is because some biodegradable options take more resources to produce, which make them more expensive. The opinion squares with what Dr Amy Kh...
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FairPrice to charge for plastic bags, McDonald�s to stop providing plastic straws at some outlets

Clement Yong and Melissa Heng Straits Times 5 Sep 19; SINGAPORE - Supermarket giant NTUC FairPrice and fast-food chain McDonald�s have jumped on the eco-friendly bandwagon. Both companies announced on Wednesday (Sept 4) that they will be trialling initiatives to cut down on plastic bags and plastic packaging. NTUC FairPrice will start charging 10 cents and 20 cents for plastic bags at seven outlets in a month-long trial, starting from Sept 16. The "No Plastic Bag" trial will encourage shoppers to use their own bags, FairPrice said in a statement on Wednesday. The seven stores are FairPrice Xtra at Hougang One mall, FairPrice Finest at Zhongshan Park mall, FairPrice at 18 Tai Seng mall, FairPrice Xpress in Lorong Chuan and Cheers outlets at Sengkang Community Hospital and in Create Way and Aljunied Road. Shoppers who want plastic bags will have to pay 20 cents per transaction at FairPrice, FairPrice Finest and FairPrice Xtra stores, and 10 cents per transaction at Cheers and...
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MPs question Government�s stand on single-use plastics as Parliament passes new sustainability Bill

Ang Hwee Min and Aqil Haziq Mahmud Channel NewsAsia 4 Sep 19; SINGAPORE: The issue of single-use plastics was discussed in Parliament on Wednesday (Sep 4), with some Members of Parliament (MP) reiterating a call for plastic bag charges. This came as MPs debated the Resource Sustainability Bill, which was passed on Wednesday. The Bill introduces regulations to reduce food, packaging and electronic waste, as Singapore�s only landfill at Pulau Semakau is expected to run out of space by 2035. It will be mandatory for large food waste generators to segregate and treat their food waste by 2021. Producers of regulated electrical and electronic products will be responsible for collecting and recycling e-waste like mobile phones, computers and large appliances through an extended "producer responsibility" framework that will be launched by 2021. A similar framework for packaging waste will also be introduced. Companies that use packaging, like importers and supermarkets, will be requ...
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Trash Talk: Packaging waste is everywhere, including in your body

LOW YOUJIN Today Online 27 Aug 19; SINGAPORE � A shopping trolley, plastic bottles, plastic bags and food wrappers galore. No this is not a scene at a supermarket � this is just a typical dive into the seas surrounding Singapore�s southern islands. Singapore prides itself on keeping its streets spotless, but if you take a dive with Ms Sam Shu Qin, the 30-year-old co-founder of Our Singapore Reefs, it quickly becomes apparent how much trash surrounds our pristine island. The volunteers with Our Singapore Reefs, a non-profit organisation that was set up with the sole aim of clearing up the trash from Singapore�s waters, pick up a lot of marine debris during their dives. Last year, they removed 3,439 pieces of marine debris weighing around 704kg from around Sisters� Island Marine Park and Lazarus Island. They have collected all kinds of garbage, from car tyres to bits of fishing equipment, and yes, even shopping trolleys. Once, they found a whole washing machine underwater. But far and a...
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Commentary: We are on the cusp of a plastic recycling revolution

A bold vision for how plastics are produced, used and reused, not just how much is recycled per se, is what will move the needle on our plastic waste, says University of Denver�s Jack Buffington. Jack Buffington Channel NewsAsia 18 Aug 19; DENVER, Colorado: Minster for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli highlighted in Parliament in early August that while 60 per cent of the nation�s waste generated is recycled, Singapore must continue building its recycling capabilities. �NEA is currently studying e-waste and plastics recycling solutions and technologies available in the market, and assessing their suitability in Singapore,� he said, suggesting that Singapore has a recycling problem. But this focus on improving recycling rates obscures the real problem surrounding waste because the intuitive policy response is to focus on marginally increasing recycling rates, where the gains are unclear. LOOKING AT RECYCLING PROGRAMMES AROUND THE WORLD Lessons learnt from around the...
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