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https://www.cgs.gov.sg/what-we-do/towardszerowaste/sayyes/home/reducingfoodwastage

https://www.nea.gov.sg/our-services/waste-management/3r-programmes-and-resources/food-waste-management/waste-management/3r-programmes-and-resources/food-waste-management

https://www.nea.gov.sg/our-services/waste-management/3r-programmes-and-resources/food-waste-management/food-waste-management-strategies#strategy1

https://www.pub.gov.sg/sites/assets/PressReleaseDocuments/Annex_Factsheet-on-Food-Waste-Management-in-Singapore-Website.pdf

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Food is a labour of love. And it is shown by the farmers who work tirelessly, the hawkers who cook from dawn to dusk, our loved ones who thoughtfully prepare our meals, and the organisations who try to ensure everyone has food to eat.

However, food isn't always appreciated and valued.

Let's be more mindful of food wastage by buying and ordering only what we can finish.

Learn and practise the tips in this Handy guide to reduce food wastage. This will also help Singapore move towards a Zero Waste Nation today!

Muhamad Faizal Bin Ettapurath Moiden, Owner & Chef of Haji E-Moiden Food Stall

A 2nd generation hawker since 2005 who is conscious about food wastage and only buy fresh ingredients daily for next day's sale. He also avoids bulk buying or keeping food products for long periods of time.

Nichol Ng, Co-founder of The Food Bank Singapore

She co-founded The Food Bank Singapore to be the prevailing centralised coordinating organisation for all food donations and to play a key role in the reduction of food wastage and food insecurity.

Fabian Liao, Senior Farm Manager of Quan Fa Organic Farm
A 2nd generation farmer who only understood how much hard work goes into growing the food that we see on the table after joining the farming industry.

Elizabeth Ratnam, Homemaker & Grandmother of 3
She educates her children and grandchildren to take only what is enough and not be a part of the 'throw-away' culture. She also actively reduces food wastage by cooking only what her family can finish.

Food is a beautiful way for us to express and receive love, especially when it's hard to find the right words.

This short film is a reminder that food is love, and we should not waste it.

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Clean & Green Singapore is about caring for our environment. With awareness and actions on providing a clean and sustainable green city.

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https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/food-waste-christmas-festive-indulgence-2397511

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From 2024, large food-waste generators in the commercial and industrial sectors will be required to segregate and treat their food waste. This opens up more options for waste treatment, including valorisation.

While the circular economy can slash food waste, it requires a joint effort, such as partnerships between stakeholders and collaborations between business and research experts to develop more food valorisation capabilities.

The NEA has set up an Industry Steering Committee focused on creating a circular economy for food. It is looking to encourage more firms to adopt valorisation solutions to upcycle food waste.

Tackling food waste is also a key topic that industry captains, innovators and policymakers will discuss at the biennial CleanEnviro Summit Singapore in April.

Our food waste recycling progress has been promising, jumping from 10 per cent in 2011 to 19 per cent last year. Singapore recycled 126,000 tonnes of food waste last year, close to double the 70,000 tonnes a decade ago.

Still, this means the bulk of food waste goes to the waste-to-energy plants.

Going back to the festive waste problem, it appears that it will take more time for consumer mindsets and food habits to shift towards mindfulness of food waste during the holidays.

Luckily, while we move towards that goal, technological advancements are simultaneously making it easier to recycle our food waste. Yet it cannot replace the importance of stopping food waste from being generated at one main source: Us.

So, while we shop at the supermarket or order meals for our gatherings, let us think harder about preventing food waste. That is even better than finding a solution for it.

Seeram Ramakrishna is Professor and Circular Economy Taskforce Chair at the National University of Singapore; and ESG Committee Member of the Singapore Institute of Directors. He was a speaker at the CleanEnviro Summit Singapore Catalyst 2021, which discussed the topic of Enhancing Sustainable Development in a Pandemic World.

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Commentary: Singapore's festive indulgence creates enormous food waste

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Even as Singapore makes progress in the fight against food waste, the holiday season remains a hard nut to crack - but it need not be so, says Seeram Ramakrishna.

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https://www.fairplanet.org/story/singapore-bets-on-water-recycling-to-achieve-sustainability/

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Eugene Heng, a campaigner and founder of the Singapore-based Waterways Watch Society, knows the travails of living with little water.

When he was a young man in the 1960s and the 1970s, dry seasons in Singapore could lead to water rationing, with people allowed to fill up a fixed number of buckets every day for weeks to make sure everyone could have access to water.

"We had to spend time bathing and cooking and to be mindful of how many scoops of water we were using because we had to share it with all the family," he recalled in an interview with FairPlanet. "Once we used all of it, we had to wait for the next day to have more."

Such strict limitations are unfathomable for many younger Singaporeans, he added, because the city state has made significant strides since then, and its efficient system can now provide clean water at the turn of a tap for a population of about 5.4 million, more than twice as many people as those who lived on the island in the 1970s.

Successful intervention

While back then Singapore mostly depended on supplies imported from Johor, Malaysia, over the following decades, it has strengthened its water services thanks to the Four National Taps, a comprehensive policy to supply water from catchment and desalination as well as imports and reclaimed wastewater, with recycling playing a prominent role because of its potential to provide a plentiful and sustainable water source.

"Since the 1970s, authorities in Singapore had the idea of producing water by recycling wastewater while increasing the number of reservoirs to collect more rainwater," Dr Cecilia Tortajada, a water management expert and professor of environmental innovation at the University of Glasgow, told FairPlanet.

The political context provided a strong catalyst for Singapore to pursue the undertaking, as the city was looking to reduce its dependence on water imports, especially after it separated from Malaysia to become a sovereign state in 1965.

"A few days after Independence, the Prime Minister of Malaysia told the British High Commissioner, 'If Singapore doesn't do what I want, I'll switch off the water supply.' So I knew that unless I could become less dependent-at that time I did not believe I could be totally independent-on Malaysian supplies, I would always be a satellite. So the quest began for water independence," Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's founder and first Prime Minister, said in 2008.

This quest led to the creation of 17 reservoirs (from three at that time) fed by a dedicated network of drains and a great deal of research on water recycling technology that culminated in the opening of the first reclaimed water plants in 2003. Over the last 19 years, the recycling process has been scaled up significantly and it can now cover up to 40 percent of the city's water demand, according to PUB, Singapore's National Water Agency.

'King' of recycling wastewater

Recycled wastewater is mostly used for industrial processes, especially in the water-intensive production of components for electric devices, but it's also added to raw water in reservoirs during dry periods. This mix is then treated to make it potable and supplied as tap water, making the city more resilient should supplies from rain or imports drop.

With non-domestic demand for water far outpacing domestic needs, reclaimed water is poised to become an even stronger pillar of water sustainability in Singapore. Non-domestic use now accounts for about 55 percent of the total water needs in the city, but PUB estimates it will grow up to 70 percent by 2060.

By then, recycled wastewater should meet up to 55 percent of total water demand, while the rest should be covered through catchment and desalination-another production method that is powering the quest for water independence but that requires a lot of energy - thus weaning the city off imports.

"Singapore has become one of the world leaders in recycling wastewater because authorities have planned how to implement it for a long time and invested large amounts of funds in research and technology," said Dr Tortajada, who believes the city will achieve the goal of using reclaimed water to cover more than half of its water needs by 2060 through further improvements that will allow to collect and reclaim a greater amount of wastewater.

The technology behind this success involves conventional wastewater treatment - including the removal of debris, sandy materials, organic and solid pollutants - followed by microfiltration and reverse osmosis to filter out microscopic particles, bacteria and viruses. As an additional safety measure, the water is then disinfected by ultraviolet light that can kill both bacteria and viruses. The result is high-quality potable water that has met the World Health Organization requirements for drinking water.

"The concern about recycling water has always been around health because if you don't do it properly you could poison an entire city," said Dr Tortajada. "But a handful of cities have long implemented the system successfully without causing health problems, including Singapore, Orange County in the US, and Windhoek in Namibia."

These examples show that recycling could help many areas become more resilient in the face of water scarcity - a global problem that is being exacerbated by pollution, climate change and growing populations - strengthening the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

But that doesn't mean every city should switch to water recycling without drawing up a comprehensive plan, as this could lead to unfair distribution or environmental problems.

"If a city abstracts water from a river and recycles it without discharging its treated wastewater into the river, then other cities downstream as well as the ecosystem could be left with little or no water," explained Dr Tortajada.

Slashing demand

Recycling is then a viable solution for places with limited water resources like Singapore, where it contributes to sustainable water supplies for the entire community that depends on them without affecting the environment.

In addition to creating more water sources, Singapore is edging closer to sustainability by cutting down the demand for water. "What you are doing with better catchment, recycling and desalination is to supply more water, but you can't continue supplying more of it forever," she said.

That's why PUB has been promoting water saving through awareness campaigns about the value of water, including water rationing exercises at schools and encouraging households to reduce consumption by installing water-efficient devices and suggesting tips like ensuring the tap is off when brushing teeth or soaping up in shower. These efforts seem to be paying off as per capita household water use decreased from 165 litres per day in 2013 to 141 litres in 2019, with the goal of cutting it down to 130 litres per day by 2030.

Similarly, PUB has worked with several industries for years to help them become more efficient, and there are now some large companies that buy only reclaimed water or even recycle their own water.

Local initiative and challenges ahead

These achievements are also driven by the groundwork of non-profits like Waterways Watch Society (WWS), which was established by Heng in 1998 to rally volunteers to keep Singapore rivers clean - an important step not only to protect the environment but also to maintain reservoirs suitable for producing drinking water. Over the years, WWS has also increasingly supported water education to shed light on the risks that lie ahead.

"We do a lot of awareness programmes with school kids and corporate people to educate them not to take water for granted, understand where our water comes from, and the impact we have on water quality if our behaviour is irresponsible, because what is thrown in the drain comes back to us tomorrow as drinking water," he said.

Economic and population growth as well as potential reduction in rainwater and imports from Malaysia could put a serious strain on water supplies in Singapore, he added, making it crucial for the whole community to avoid wasting them.

"I try to use the bare minimum of water because we all have to learn to conserve it if we want sustainable water supplies."
Image by NEWater Factory.

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Singapore bets on water recycling to achieve sustainability | FairPlanet

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Eugene Heng, a campaigner and founder of the Singapore-based Waterways Watch Society, knows the travails of living with little water. When he was a young man in the 1960s and the 1970s, dry seasons in Singapore could lead to water rationing, with people allowed to fill up a fixed number of buckets every day for weeks to make sure everyone could have access to water.

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https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/29/can-new-technology-solve-a-trillion-pound-garbage-problem.html

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Trillions of pounds of trash: New technology tries to solve an old garbage problem

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The recycling industry has struggled with a trillion-pound global landfill issue, but breakthrough plastic package replacements and recycling robots are here.

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https://www.nea.gov.sg/media/news/news/index/new-nationwide-e-waste-management-system-kicks-in-on-1-july-2021

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https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/electric-cars-ev-luxury-cars-tax-arf-omv-budget-2022-2519051

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IN FOCUS: What is the road ahead for Singapore’s relationship with cars?

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After measures were announced in the Budget, CNA looks at how a new Additional Registration Fee tier and the charging up of Singapore’s electric car policies will affect car buyers and owners.

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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/nparks-aims-to-reduce-bird-building-collisions-with-new-guidelines

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ST One Digital Package - Monthly

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$0.99/month for the first 3 months, $9.90/month thereafter. T&Cs apply.

Unlock these benefits

All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

2-week e-paper archive so you never miss out on any topic that matters to you

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NParks aims to reduce bird-building collisions with new guidelines

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No contract $0.99/month for the first 3 months, $9.90/month thereafter. T&Cs apply. Unlock these benefits All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device 2-week e-paper archive so you never miss out on any topic that matters to you

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https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/women/women-sustainability-didi-gan-n95-mask-hand-sanitiser-284616

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On how she sourced for sustainable ingredients, Gan said she buys cashew nut waste from Intersnack, a cashew nut processing company.

CE-certified, meaning the product complies with EU requirements for medical face masks. $300,000 and S$400,000, R&D was so expensive that Gan did not draw a salary for four months.

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From bin to skin: Meet the Singaporean who makes face masks from food waste

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Didi Gan's quest for an all-natural, non-toxic N95 mask and home disinfecting solutions led her to intercept heaps of nut waste on their way to landfills. CNA Women speaks to her in this first instalment of our women in sustainability series.

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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/these-eco-friends-are-adding-new-chapters-to-singapores-sustainability-story

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From teaching people to repair broken electronics instead of discarding them, to leading net zero emissions drives, NEA EcoFriends are making great strides to green the Little Red Dot

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These EcoFriends are adding new chapters to Singapore's sustainability story

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From teaching people to repair broken electronics instead of discarding them, to leading net zero emissions drives, they've made great strides to green the Little Red Dot. . Read more at straitstimes.com.

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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/three-new-species-of-moss-animals-discovered-in-southern-islands

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Three new species of 'moss animals' discovered in Southern Islands

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The 2019 discovery brings Singapore's number of bryozoan species to 133. . Read more at straitstimes.com.

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Electric car registrations continue to grow in Q1; issue of hogging of chargers being tackled

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There are now some 3,600 electric cars in Singapore and around 2,500 charging points. . Read more at straitstimes.com.

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https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltagov/en/industry_innovations/technologies/electric_vehicles.html

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Singapore aims to develop a greener and more sustainable land transport sector, reducing peak land transport emissions by 80%, by or around mid-century. The Singapore Green Plan 2030 includes a strong push to electrify our vehicle population, which would help Singapore achieve our vision of 100% cleaner energy vehicles by 2040.

To support this, we have launched a new campaign to raise awareness of Electric Vehicles (EVs), their benefits to owners and the environment, as well as how we can all contribute towards the responsible and gracious sharing of charging infrastructure.

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Singapore aims to develop a greener and more sustainable land transport sector, reducing peak land transport emissions by 80%, by or around mid-century. The Singapore Green Plan 2030 includes a strong push to electrify our vehicle population, which would help Singapore achieve our vision of 100% cleaner energy vehicles by 2040.

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https://www.sgrecycle.com/

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WELCOME TO SG RECYCLE

SGRecycle is a social recycling initiative by SGPaperRecycle Pte Ltd where a network of more than 100 SGRecycle stations are deployed around Singapore islandwide to collect waste paper (aluminum cans, plastic PET bottles and fabrics coming soon) and in return for incentives/reward points. You may register an account with us to start recycling. Download SGRecycle App on Apple App Store/Google Play Store. Recycle to Save Our Environment.

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WELCOME TO SG RECYCLE SGRecycle is a social recycling initiative by SGPaperRecycle Pte Ltd where a network of more than 100 SGRecycle stations are deployed around Singapore islandwide to collect waste paper (aluminum cans, plastic PET bottles and fabrics coming soon) and in return for incentives/reward points.

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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/pilot-to-turn-food-waste-into-fertiliser-to-be-expanded-across-tampines-by-2024

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Pilot that turns food waste into fertiliser to be expanded across Tampines by 2024

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A waste digestor at a Tampines West bin centre has cut down on bad odours and pest numbers as food waste is no longer left unprocessed. . Read more at straitstimes.com.

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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/old-mrt-train-seats-get-new-lease-of-life-in-yishun-void-decks

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Old MRT train seats get new lease of life at Yishun void decks

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Finding a new home for old trains is not easy because of their size. . Read more at straitstimes.com.

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https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/photos/fun-ways-to-recycle

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https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/cash-recycling-paper-machine-pap-towns-new-green-plan-2358051

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SINGAPORE: Residents in towns managed by the People's Action Party (PAP) will be encouraged to adopt a zero waste lifestyle, through a cash-for-recycling programme and more paper recycling machines set up in their estate, the party announced on Saturday (Dec 4).

Under its Action for Green Towns (AGT) initiative, the party has set a target of deploying at least 78 paper recycling machines across its 15 towns by the end of the month, in partnership with SGRecycle.

Residents will first have to scan a QR code on the machine to register, before depositing their items. They will get 6 cents per 1kg of paper or cardboard recycled. This will be stored in their digital wallets before being credited to their bank accounts.

When the COVID-19 situation improves, outreach programmes will be conducted to raise awareness of these machines among residents, PAP added in its press release.

All PAP town councils have also pledged to reduce paper use. For instance, by implementing electronic payments to contractors instead of issuing cheques when possible.

These were among a slew of initiatives announced by the party on Saturday, months after it first unveiled its Action for Green Towns initiative.

Launched in May, the initiative aims to galvanise various stakeholders to work towards making every PAP-managed town "zero waste, energy efficient and greener" by 2025.

As part of the initiative, all of the PAP's 15 town councils has a Member of Parliament (MP) as a "sustainability champion".

These 15 individuals, together with Young PAP representatives, form the Action for Green Towns task force led by chairperson of Jalan Besar Town Council Dr Wan Rizal.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Dr Wan Rizal said in coming up with the plans, the taskforce took stock of what each town was doing in terms of sustainability.

"We came out with a report card, and this report clearly shows what they've done over the years and how much impact it made," said Dr Wan Rizal.

He added that the report card covered three categories including zero waste, energy efficiency, as well as green town.

"(At) a very fundamental level, we are all doing our part, but can we go further to reduce carbon footprint? I think that is the direction that we want to go. But as I mentioned, we want to take small steps as possible to get more people on board," he added.

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Cash-for-recycling programme among initiatives under PAP's new green plan for towns

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SINGAPORE: Residents in towns managed by the People's Action Party (PAP) will be encouraged to adopt a zero waste lifestyle, through a cash-for-recycling programme and more paper recycling machines set up in their estate, the party announced on Saturday (Dec 4). Under its Action f

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https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/nea-recycling-survey-new-mascot-bloobin-2435816

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Most households were aware that common recyclables generated at home, such as shampoo or detergent bottles, beverage cartons, glass bottles and plastic egg cartons could be placed into the blue recycling bins.

However, households were less aware of items that should not be deposited for recycling. For instance, about half of those surveyed thought that soft toys and Styrofoam items could be recycled.

The survey also found that 72 per cent were not aware that households did not need to sort their recyclables before depositing them into the blue recycling bins or recycling chutes.

"To make recycling more convenient for households, Singapore has a single-stream recyclables collection system where households can place four types of recyclables - paper, plastic, glass and metal - into recycling bins and recycling chutes," said NEA.

"This not only saves on the effort for households to segregate recyclables at home, but also reduces the carbon footprint of collecting recyclables, when compared to the multiple truck trips needed for the separate collection of different recyclable streams."

The agency noted that if Singapore does not reduce waste generation, Semakau Landfill is expected to be full by 2035 given the country's current rate of waste disposal.

"Through recycling, we can not only divert waste from Semakau Landfill, but can also turn trash into treasure and close the resource loop as part of a circular economy."

Currently, all HDB blocks have one recycling bin per block or a recycling chute, while landed houses each have a dedicated recycling bin.

At condominiums and private apartments, one recycling bin is also provided for each residential block. These bins, as well as the dedicated recyclables collection trucks, are all coloured blue to differentiate them from the general waste bins and the refuse collection trucks.

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Three in five households recycled regularly: NEA survey

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SINGAPORE: While three in five households reported that they recycled regularly and that most knew what items could be placed in recycling bins, households were less aware of items that should not be deposited for recycling, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Friday (Jan 14).

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https://www.metalointernational.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuKeG-PqP9wIVIzNyCh05bQx9EAAYAiAAEgK8_fD_BwE

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Licensed by NEA to provide disposal and recycling services for electronic waste and scrap metal. Accredited with ISO and internationally recognized industry certifications.

Leading secure electronic waste recycler with over ten years of proven track record in helping organisations manage their end-of-life IT assets in a secure, sustainable, and cost-effective manner.

Integrated Suites of Services

Equipped with the finest technologies in providing the most optimal and comprehensive suite of services ranging from logistics, recycling to secure data destruction and certification for regulatory and corporate compliance

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Metalo | A Leading E-Waste Management Company In Singapore

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Licensed by NEA to provide disposal and recycling services for electronic waste and scrap metal. Accredited with ISO and internationally recognized industry certifications. Leading secure electronic waste recycler with over ten years of proven track record in helping organisations manage their end-of-life IT assets in a secure, sustainable, and cost-effective manner.

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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/recycling-bins-to-be-given-to-each-household-to-raise-domestic-recycling-rate

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Recycling bins to be given to each household to raise domestic recycling rate

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Contamination remains the greatest contributor to Singapore's low domestic recycling rate. . Read more at straitstimes.com.

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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/norwegian-firm-to-deploy-vending-machines-in-singapore-to-recycle-bottles-and-cans

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Norwegian firm to deploy vending machines in Singapore to recycle bottles and cans

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The entrance of Tomra's machines would add to the Republic's recycling initiatives. . Read more at straitstimes.com.

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Instruction: find one news article about recycling in Singapore,e.g composting food waste, 3Rs, electric cars, newater made beer etc. The ST, TODAYONLINE, CNA, INSTAGRAM, YAHOO NEWS ETC.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/watch/tampines-west-implement-food-waste-treatment-system-after-pilot-video-2617946

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Tampines West will be the first neighbourhood to implement a food waste treatment system after a six-month trial in 2019. These efforts are part of the Singapore Green Plan, which aims to reduce landfill waste by 30 per cent by 2030. Tan Si Hui reports.

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Tampines West to implement food waste treatment system after pilot | Video

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Tampines West will be the first neighbourhood to implement a food waste treatment system after a six-month trial in 2019. These efforts are part of the Singapore Green Plan, which aims to reduce landfill waste by 30 per cent by 2030. Tan Si Hui reports.