The 5 R’s
We’re all pretty familiar with the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse & Recycle. Singapore, in particular, has a greater emphasis on R when it comes to public engagement. However, the 2 lesser known brothers, Refuse and Rot, are the the quintessential Rs of the Zero Waste Movement. There are many sites you can find that can give you a breakdown of the 5 Rs, such as, Unsustainable (see image below) but I want to give you a more contextualised version for the Singapore locale. It is also worth noting that to make the most positive environmental impact, these steps should be taken as a hierarchy. Refuse whatever you can and what can’t be, you reduce. Then, what you can’t reduce, you reuse, and so on.
1. Refuse
If you don’t actually need it, you can choose not to get it. It’s also equally important to not get more than what you actually need. Think of the amount of food product that was on sale but went to waste because it expired before you can eat it. This is probably the hardest because it is the exact opposite of the kind of indiscriminate consumption we are so habituated to. We often don’t think of the consequences of buying something and throwing it away shortly after using it. However, this is also the most important step because this will determine what waste comes under your possession and what doesn’t.
It also might take some getting used to preemptively refusing restaurants that don’t ask whether or not you would like a plastic straw for your drink, or for the bakery employee to put your bread in a plastic bag without asking. However, with practice, gradually it’ll come as naturally as telling the beverage stall auntie, “auntie, kopi peng, less ice”. Habits take time to form.
2. Reduce
These are things you already have but maybe you haven’t used, such as, an out of season article of clothing, your old but still functional laptop or books on your shelf you’ve already read. Raw materials and resources have already been expended on these products but serve no purpose other than taking up space. Donate or sell them away. Similarly, you can reduce your environmental impact by opting for second-hand. That way, the overall resources expended are cut because no new resources are expended to manufacture that product.
There are charity organisations you can donate to, including Salvation Army, Singapore Council for Women’s Organisation for general donations, and Thryft for books. If you’d like to earn a little bit of cash, you can consider selling your second-hand goods at Carousell or the Facebook Marketplace.
3. Reuse
For anything that’s disposable, consider switching to reusables. You can bring your own cup, use a tote bag for groceries . The idea is to go for something that can be used as many times as possible before you have to go and get a new one.
That being said, there are some circumstances where switching to a reusable may not be the best option. Reusable options tend to be more resource-intensive and release more carbon emissions. For instance, a recent study carried out by a research team here in NTU argues that plastic bags can actually have less environmental impact than reusable bags UNLESS the reusable bag is used 17-50 times, depending on the material. In other words, if you’re the kind to forget your reusable bag at home or not go grocery shopping as often, perhaps opting for single-use plastic bag is still the better option.
4. Recycle
You’ve probably seen those blue recycling bins near your residence (image on right). They are meant for clean recyclables. Let me emphasise. The bins are for CLEAN recyclables. Up to 95% of items in these bins are considered not recyclable and this is in large part due to contamination from food or liquid wastes, which undermine the quality of these products. Recyclables in Singapore are broken up into finer plastic pellets to be sold to local business or otherwise baled and shipped overseas. Due to contaminations, they might not be sellable and thus add to the waste disposed in our offshore landfill.
Another issue is the problem of non-recyclables being added into the mix. These non-recyclables require extra effort to be hand-picked and again, may lead to further contamination. Before recycling, make sure to take a snapshot of the recycle bin sticker for guidelines on what should and should not be deposited in this bin. For a more detailed list, refer to this link.
5. Rot
Whatever that is left that can’t be refused, reduced, reused or recycled, you can convert to compost. At this stage, there should only be biodegradable waste left – that is, things that can decompose. It can then be converted into fertiliser for your mini-garden, be it a garden bed or a row of potted plants right outside your doorstep. You can also check out if you live near anyone of these community gardens trails!
There are no community composting facilities in Singapore so if would like to engage in composting, you can follow guidelines by NParks on how to set up your own compost. Be sure to check with your community garden officials if they have specific guidelines with regards to using DIY composts.
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