Despite being an island of plenty, we are lacking in space — space to dispose of our waste.
With only one single landfill due to run out of space by 2035, Garden City could very well turn into Garbage City if we do not find a way to reduce our waste.
One way to do so is to consume less, but that is easier said than done when consumerism is ingrained into our DNA and shopping is a national pastime.
The alternative, which involves closing the waste loop by recycling and reusing as much as possible, is thus much more practical and doable.
And that is precisely what Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development Sim Ann and the Party’s Bukit Timah Women’s Wing did to usher in 2023 with the Pass-It-On project.
The project collects and redistributes household items and clothing still in good condition to Bukit Timah residents.
In doing so, items destined for the landfill or left languishing in our storerooms are now given a new lease of life.
The response in Bukit Timah was good, with members of public enquiring when is the next event.
In a Facebook post on Jan 2, SMS Sim wrote: “We were encouraged by the response and queries on when the next such event will be held. We’re working on it!”
Promoting sustainability for a greener tomorrow
Over the years, our MPs have been taking action to encourage sustainability in Singapore.
MP for Punggol West, Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Sun Xueling, has been promoting recycling efforts in her constituency. Through eco-events, residents could come together to give and receive pre-loved books, stationery, and toys.
Meanwhile, MPs of East Coast GRC Ms Cheryl Chan and Ms Jessica Tan have dabbled with creative upcycling, participating in a workshop that sees t-shirts getting turned into fashionable tote bags instead of ending up as fashion waste.
Spring cleaning soon
In the coming weeks, many of us will probably be spring cleaning our homes in preparation for the Lunar New Year.
While it is easy to chuck aside unwanted items indiscriminately into a bin bag, it is worth differentiating them into items we could donate, recycle, or even upcycle.
But to achieve that, it would require all of us to be more thoughtful in what we classify as waste and make small changes in how we dispose of them.
Right now, many of us tend to be unfamiliar with what to do with old clothing, furniture, and household appliances. Other than Pass-It-On, there are plenty of avenues for donating or reselling these items that do not involve dealing with scammers and lowballers.
And as highlighted by MP for Nee Soon GRC Mr Louis Ng when he launched a recycling hub at Yishun, worn and tattered clothing can now be recycled in yellow Cloop bins, which are basically textile recycling bins.
As noted by Senior Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua last December, Tanjong Pagar GRC now has seven Cloop bins — as part of the Party’s Action for Green Towns initiative.
Instead of ending up as general waste, textiles finally have a box to call their own and be repurposed or resold for use in other industries.
Remember, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. And this statement cannot be more accurate as we inch towards a circular economy in waste management to achieve our Green Plan targets.
Cover Photo Credit: Sim Ann/Louis Ng via Facebook
