The disposable age along with increasing affluence, is resulting in a rising tide of waste generated in Singapore.
Since domestic helper Cherryann-Lynn Santos, 36, started working for a family in Singapore nine years ago, she has been “shopping” at the dumpster at her condominium in the east for gifts to send home for Christmas. “We find clothes and shoes that are still brand-new because they still have price tags. Even the toys are in the boxes and untouched,” the Filipino maid says.
In 2015, Singapore generated 7.67 million tonnes of waste – enough to fill 3,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. This figure is just a little under the record 7.85 million tonnes discarded in 2013. Granted, of the waste generated in 2015, more than half – almost 4.65 million tonnes – was recycled. Even so, the amount of refuse sent for disposal has climbed over the years. It is the physical fallout from the country’s preoccupation with shopping and relentless consumption.
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Source: The Business Times, 14 January 2017