By and large, public attitudes towards using less single-use disposables have not changed much, say businesses, environmentalists and consumers. Before she leaves home, Ms Cha Yoo Kyung, 27, always makes sure she has three essential items with her: A food container, cutlery and a reusable shopping bag.
CNA Explains: As temperatures hit record highs in Singapore and around the world, what can we do to beat the heat?Ms Cha is part of a growing minority of people here who strive to do more for the environment by reducing the use of plastics and single-use disposables in their everyday lives.When Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre opened in December 2022, it made the news for its aim to be one of the greenest hawker centres in Singapore.
However, this also means that some hawkers have to subsidise the cost of the containers, as they said their actual cost is at least S$0.50 per container.Similar consumer complaints surfaced earlier this month - over homegrown bakery brand BreadTalk’s implementation of a S$0.10 charge per disposable plastic carrier bag as well as a S$0.50 charge for a woven carrier bag by American footwear store Skechers.
Convenience is an often cited reason, with consumers saying it is too “troublesome” to bring their own bags or containers. NEA’s website also states that in 2020, about 200,000 tonnes of domestic waste were single-use disposables, comprising both packaging and non-packaging items such as carrier bags, food and beverage containers, as well as tableware and utensils.
The Say YES to Waste Less annual campaign launched in 2019 by NEA in partnership with businesses to encourage consumers to reduce the use of disposables. Carrying a reusable bag at a FairPrice supermarket, the 65-year-old told TODAY that her children persuaded her to stop using plastic bags to “save the animals”.
“I started doing it during my internship two years ago as we always bought food back to the office to eat, and most of my colleagues brought containers.” On a weekly basis, they encounter only a handful of customers who bring their own containers or bags, compared to hundreds who do not. As with most hawkers, Mr Chew currently uses plastic containers for takeaways. He said he considered more eco-friendly alternatives such as biodegradable ones, but they cost twice as much.In fact, he is making a slight loss as he is charging S$0.30 for large containers, even though they cost him about S$0.40 each.Hawker Melvin Chew considered more eco-friendly alternatives such as biodegradable packaging, but they cost twice as much.
Over at Hussain Muslim Food, also in Kovan, hawker Siti Leonita Minhad, 37, explained that it is tough for hawkers to cut down on the amount of plastic bags used because sometimes, they will need to pack different food separately to prevent spillage. The situation is also similar at food outlets such as Old Chang Kee, Dough Culture, and Jian Bo Shui Kueh, as well as bakeries nestled in public housing blocks.
“Generally, it would be difficult for bakeries like ours to reduce their use of plastics as we need to separate food with different taste profiles. We have sweet and savoury puffs, and we don’t pack them together unless the customer tells us it’s okay,” she added. D2L.sg founder Lin Qinghui says that most people in Singapore are driven by what is the cheapest and most convenient.
Another discussion involved a food court chain that removed plastic straws but introduced cups with plastic caps for cold drinks, which sell for at least S$2.Some questioned whether the amount of plastic used for the cap is less than that of a straw, and whether this is just a gimmick to increase profit.
Conversely, some other materials used to replace plastic come at a higher environmental cost as they might not burn as efficiently or as cleanly as plastic. Similarly, Mr Yasser Amin, who heads Stridy, a non-profit organisation addressing urban waste management issues worldwide, said terms such as “biodegradable” or “compostable” often confuse the average person.
On NEA's website, in explaining why Singapore does not ban single-use plastics, the agency says that doing so may lead to a switch to disposables made from other materials such as paper or degradable plastics, “which also create waste, have their own set of environmental impacts and are not necessarily better for the environment”.
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