Introduction

Throughout this blog, the term ‘waste’ will refer to items that are unwanted and discarded.

Have you ever thought about the kind of physical waste you produce on a daily basis? Have you ever wondered where your trash goes to and how it affects the environment?

Waste in Singapore

At the start of 2019, the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) launched a campaign titled, ‘Towards Zero Waste’. In view of this, it is important to know how waste is affecting our small nation. According to MEWR, Singapore generated 7.7 million tonnes of waste in 2018. This is a seven-fold increase from 40 years ago, and enough to fill 15.000 Olympic-size swimming pools. Based on the current rate of waste generation, our only landfill, the Semakau landfill, will run out of space by 20351. 

In this blog, you will learn all about waste in Singapore and how, in Singapore’s case, the encouragement of behavioral and lifestyle changes will in turn drive the conservation of our natural environment. I will be sharing with you how waste is processed and managed, the impact of waste, why it is a pressing issue and lastly, the whys and hows to reducing your waste in Singapore.

 

Sources:
1. MEWR (2019) 2019 is Singapore’s year towards zero waste press release. http://sglinks.news/mewr/pr/2019-is-singapores-year-towards-zero-waste

Source for header image:
– Photo by Will Truettner on Unsplash