Plastic bag policy 'a diversion'

17 May 2008
By Joe Lynam
BBC News

Plans to ban or charge for single-use plastic bags are a diversion from the real environmental issues, one of the government's own advisers has said.

Waste and recycling expert Professor Chris Coggins said such a government policy allowed the supermarkets to pass on responsibility to customers.

He said supermarkets could be helping to influence packaging rather than shifting the problem on to consumers.

The government said the public wanted to see action to curb use of the bags.

Visible litter

"Supermarkets have a much bigger role to play in influencing the packaging they use," said Professor Chris Coggins, who was appointed research managing agent for the Department of Food and Rural Affairs' (Defra) waste research programme in 2005.

"They [supermarkets] have power in terms of what they buy and how it's packed. The problem is, by focusing on the consumer end, they are to some extent diverting attention from what they should be doing."

In a BBC interview, Prof Coggins, who also works on the sustainable urban environment (waste) programme, said: "Plastic bags are a very visible form of litter but in reality they are a very small proportion of waste and oil use.

"So in overall resource terms, it's a visual rather than mainstream issue."

Environment minister Joan Ruddock admitted single use bags were only a small part of the waste stream.

But she added: "We know that the public is on our side. They want action. It's very symbolic of our throw-away society and so we do need to do something quite dramatically to curb their use."

Trivial issue

British retailers hand out an estimated 13 billion free plastic bags every year, which take about 1,000 years to decay.

The government has set a voluntary target of cutting plastic bag usage by a quarter every year.

It has also proposed stricter measures on retailers as part of the proposed climate change bill, should that target not be met.

The retail sector comprises about 7% of the total UK building energy consumption, emitting over 5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, according to the Carbon Trust.

But the proposed new legislation has not been welcomed by retailers.

Jane Milne, from the British Retail Consortium, which represents Britain's supermarkets, said: "There are a lot of important provisions in the climate change bill which we do support but we think this is a rather trivial issue to add onto it.

"It's not just a sledgehammer to crack a nut, it's a steamroller to crack a walnut. It really is not the best use of our resources in terms of all the issues that we need to be addressing."

Lack of uniformity

Since 6 May, one of Britain's largest retailers, Marks & Spencer, has been charging its customers 5p for each disposable plastic bag as part of its corporate environmental policy.

The move follows a trial at 50 stores in Northern Ireland and the south-west of England, which saw demand for polythene bags fall by more than 70%.

If that trend is copied throughout the UK, M&S said it could reduce the number of bags used by 280 million each year.

Other supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury's have their own policies for cutting plastic bag use among customers.

Discount retailers such as Aldi and Lidl have been charging for bags for a number of years.

This array of strategies to combat single-use plastic bags by supermarkets has also been criticised by Prof Coggins as confusing for shoppers looking for uniformity nationwide.

In 2002, the Republic of Ireland became the first country in the world to charge for plastic bags - a policy which cut usage by 90% almost overnight.

Although the scheme has been beneficial for the environment, the measure was initially introduced to reduce litter.

Recycling That Harms the Environment and People

By HENRY FOUNTAIN, New York Times
April 15, 2008

Recycling is supposed to be good for the environment. But if it’s not carried out properly, certain kinds of recycling — notably the dismantling of electronic circuit boards, which contain lead, zinc, copper and other metals — can cause environmental harm.

It can also be dangerous to human health, as a new study of electronics recycling in China shows.

Anna O. W. Leung and Ming H. Wong of Hong Kong Baptist University and colleagues went to the town of Guiyu in southeastern China, home to a cottage industry of family-run recycling workshops. These are typically set up inside homes, where family members melt the tin-lead solder on the boards to remove chips and other components for sale, with only small household fans for ventilation.

The researchers collected surface dust samples in and around these workshops, at local markets and schools and in other nearby residential areas.

As reported in Environmental Science and Technology, they found extremely elevated levels of lead, zinc and other metals in the workshops. Lead levels, for example, were up to 2,400 times commonly accepted optimum levels.

The contamination extended beyond the workshops into adjacent streets. Lead levels were still high, although about one-fifth the levels inside the homes. But even neighborhood schoolyards and markets were affected, suggesting that people spread contaminated dust as they walk around.

Online barter exchange sites gain popularity

By Ng Jing Yng, TODAY
02 April 2008

SINGAPORE: It's an online exchange site that allows you to trade your unwanted items for someone else's — and it is part of a growing Web community that believes in cash-free recycling.

While auction sites like eBay have long allowed people to sell off their second-hand stuff, YouSwop.com abides by the ancient practice of barter trading that does away with hard cash.

Such barter sites have been gaining a following — on www.u-exchange.com, for instance, users trade across countries on items ranging from clothes to garden appliances.

YouSwop, launched last August, already lists more than 6,000 registered users who post photographs of items they wish to trade for virtual credits or "YS dollars". Each member tags a value to his or her item and can use credits earned to "purchase" items from other members.

But how does this system compare to the popular Singapore Freecycle, or SgFreecycle, where users simply give away their used items freely?

Items put up for offer on the two-year-old site range from baby clothing to computer accessories and household furniture, and interested parties can contact the person making the offer to collect the items.

According to the moderator of SgFreecycle, 30-year-old Varun Arora, a recent poll was conducted on whether bartering should be allowed. Members did not subscribe to the idea.

"While YouSwop might be an alternative for some, the vast majority who give away items on SgFreecycle do so with altruistic motives and not because they want something in exchange," said Mr Arora.

Secretary Gerry Khoo, 30, who has been using both sites for six months, says each serves a different purpose. "But in both cases, I felt that the items would benefit someone else who really needed them."

According to one of YouSwop's three creators, Mr Patrick Lim, 33, using virtual credits for bartering purposes makes for easier exchange and fair play for both buyer and seller.

The idea was sparked off by Mr Lim's wife, who had too many items that were rarely used and taking up storage space.

"Initially, we just wanted to have a platform which enabled us to swap for things that we need," said Mr Lim. He now hopes the site will help save the environment by recycling unused items. - TODAY/sh

Over 200 volunteers tag thousands of duckies for Great Duck Race

By Julia Ng, Channel NewsAsia
02 Sep 2007

SINGAPORE : The Great Singapore Duck Race is back for the seventh year running on September 9th.

But first, the little race duckies needed a little preparation.

Mostly recycled from previous races, some of the duckies are in need of a minor make-over.

And over 200 volunteers spent their Saturday morning at the Trans-Link Logistics Centre tagging serial numbers onto the tens of thousands of racing ducks.

The duckies will then be put up for adoption at S$10 each before heading for the Singapore River later this month for their one-kilometre race.

Over the years, the Great Singapore Duck Race has raised over S$5 million for charity.

This year's target is another million dollars for six beneficiaries.

And this race may well be the duckies' last in the Singapore River before it is turned into a reservoir. - CNA/ch

“农作树”造纸法节省能源

27 August 2007 (Lianhe Zaobao)
written by 林佩碧

　　保护环境，已到了刻不容缓的时候。

　　本报每逢星期一和四，通过《绿色行动》专栏定期提供环保消息和贴士，让大家在日常生活中减少浪费，把环保意识落实为行动，当作生活方式。

　　这个专栏欢迎读者参与，提供题材，一起为环保尽力。读者可把资料电邮到zblocal@sph.com.sg或传真到63198121。

　　一提起造纸业，人们自然会联想起大量砍伐树木、烧芭、损耗能源，以及漂白纸张等对环境造成严重污染的种种情形。

　　一份研究显示，全球有17％纸张原料来自砍伐山林、37％来自开发后重新种植的树木，只有29％来自有人管理的园林，例如再植树木或种植农作树（farmed trees），而后者更被视为目前最环保的造纸法。

　　专门生产复印纸的Double A公司，过去20年来在泰国北部山区采取的正是农作树造纸法。

　　公司高级执行副总裁迪拉威（Thirawit Leetavorn）日前接受本报电访时解释，所谓农作树造纸法，即在无需砍伐树木的情况下，把农作树的树苗交给农民，让他们在自家农地空出来的地方栽种，待三至五年后树木长成合适高度，公司便根据市场价格向农民回购。

　　为了确保纸张原料的素质，该公司采用的是源自澳洲昆士兰州、却经过专家开发和改良的尤加利树品种（Eucalyptus）。新品种不仅拥有高产量和高质量的纤维，也适合在泰国土壤和气候环境中生长。

　　公司安排了约40名工作人员驻守山区，与农民一起生活，一方面为他们灌输有关种植尤加利树的知识，另一方面方便他们监督和控制产量。

Bus interchanges the most littered places in Singapore: survey

By Lynda Hong, Channel NewsAsia
27 July 2007 1844 hrs

SINGAPORE: About 53.7 percent of Singaporeans who were surveyed by the National Environment Agency (NEA) said littering was not a serious problem here.

The study also found that 39.2 percent of the respondents were not concerned about littering and 20.3 percent did not take pride in keeping Singapore litter-free.

In addition to that, 13.6 percent of the respondents thought littering was a socially acceptable behaviour while 8.6 percent said littering would not lead to hygiene problems.

Of those surveyed, 7.5 percent did not think litter was harmful to the environment.

Results of the NEA Littering Behaviour Study, conducted over a period of six months, were released on Friday at the launch of the Litter-Free Bus Services Programme at the Ang Mo Kio Bus Interchange.

The programme, which was launched by Minister of State for Transport and Finance Lim Hwee Hua, aims to encourage Singaporeans not to litter.

The NEA study showed that bus interchanges were considered the most littered public places in Singapore.

Besides displaying posters and banners on this programme in 21 bus interchanges and more than 3,650 buses, this litter-free initiative also involves the concerted efforts of stakeholders such as bus operators, commuters, cleaners, bus captains and shop tenants.

Mrs Lim hopes the new programme will remind Singaporeans to take ownership for the cleanliness of their environment.

She said: "From time to time, we need to raise awareness; we need to remind people again that it takes everyone's efforts to make this work and to sustain this on an ongoing basis, because litter will not just disappear by itself. Litter will have to be carefully and properly disposed (of)."

Launch of "I'm Not a Plastic Bag" at Ngee Ann City cancelled

By May Wong, Channel NewsAsia
24 July 2007

SINGAPORE: The Singapore distributors of "I'm Not a Plastic Bag" have cancelled the launch of the designer bag.

The eco-friendly bag was to have made its debut here at the "On Pedder" store in Ngee Ann City on 18 August.

But the store said it had decided not to go ahead with the launch, following the trouble the bag caused at its launches in Hong Kong and Taiwan earlier this month.

In Taiwan, shoppers pushed and shoved to get their hands on the Anya Hindmarch bag. It caused a stampede and landed some in hospital.

There were similar scenes in Hong Kong, where shoppers lined up for hours to buy the bag, which was produced to encourage shoppers not to use plastic bags.

To avoid such a situation, retailers, not only in Singapore but also in Beijing, Shanghai and Jakarta, have cancelled the bag launch.

In Singapore, the "On Pedder" store said it has been receiving up to 50 calls a day for at least one month.

Most shoppers want to be placed on the waiting list.

The bag, which has been sold out in the US, was to retail here at S$25. - CNA/yy

Singaporeans going green following Bring Your Own Bag drive

By Foo Xiao Xuan, Channel NewsAsia
03 July 2007

SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency (NEA) said the Bring Your Own Bag Day (BYOBD) campaign, which started in April, has sparked many initiatives to distribute reusable bags from various organisations.

These include the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), North West CDC, South West CDC and Keppel Corporation.

HSBC, for example, launched its "HSBC Green Sale" on 28 June, where for one month, every financial product sold will see the bank donating S$2.80 to its Garden City fund to help conserve the rainforest.

NEA Chief Executive Officer Lee Yuen Hee hopes these initiatives will inspire more people to take ownership of the environment and to do their part against global warming.

The agency will also work with schools to promote the Bring Your Own Bag Day campaign, where students from secondary schools will be at supermarkets to explain the rationale behind the campaign as well as conduct a shopper's survey on it.

Meanwhile, the fourth BYOB Day will be on 4 July and shoppers are encouraged to use reusable bags to bag their purchases on this day.

Alternatively, shoppers can purchase a reusable bag from supermarkets or make a 10 cents donation for each plastic bag that they need.

The donated amount goes to the Singapore Environment Council to fund environmental activities.


- CNA/so

Organic waste treatment plant needs better trash sorting

By Jeana Wong, Channel NewsAsia
12 June 2007 1941 hrs

SINGAPORE: Singapore's first organic waste treatment plant is set to be up and running by the end of this year.

The plant - the first and largest of its kind in Asia - will turn food waste into power.

But the plant owner, IUT Global, says thus far its power generation capacity has not been the most efficient.

That is because it has been having trouble collecting the right kind of food waste.

Singapore-based IUT Global had hoped that it would make some headway with getting its food waste suppliers to sort out their trash properly since it broke ground at its facility in Tuas nearly two years ago by building an organic waste treatment plant.

"The big challenge is to actually collect what we want. Having a number of people, and even malls like Century Square signing up was not a problem because many of these people want to be seen to be green.

"We've quite a number of hotels as well, including the big hotels like Raffles (Hotel) and Shangri-La. But the current system has food waste all mixed in," says Edwin Khew, CEO, IUT Global.

IUT Global says it needs to collect the purest food or organic waste in order to be effective and profitable.

And it remains hopeful that its S$60 million plant can deliver the promise of transforming a quarter of Singapore's food waste into electricity and compost materials.

"We've just started doing the testing and commissioning. Food waste will be coming in and we'll be ramping up, and this will take time. So we're hopeful that we can get the full 300 tonnes to move forward. But more hopeful that we can get the 300 tonnes that we want and not 300 tonnes that's mixed in with other things," says Mr Khew.

Singapore throws away some 1,500 tonnes of food waste on a daily basis.

That makes up nearly one-tenth of Singapore's trash, which last year amounted to more than five million tonnes.

If successful, IUT Global's new plant will be able to turn food waste into enough electricity for itself and over 10,000 other industrial facilities. - CNA/yy

Over 70% of shoppers support Bring Your Own Bag Day

By May Wong, Channel NewsAsia
06 June 2007

SINGAPORE: Over 70 percent of shoppers have supported the Bring Your Own Bag Day exercises so far.

Two of such exercises were held over the last two months and a total of 215 retail outlets are participating in the campaign.

The campaign designates the first Wednesday of every month as Bring Your Own Bag Day.

On this day, shoppers are encouraged to bring their own bags for their purchases. Those who do not wish to do so can choose to make a 10 cents donation for each plastic bag they need.

Some 100,000 reusable bags, sponsored by Keppel Corporation, are distributed for free at all NTUC FairPrice supermarkets, making Keppel the first private organisation to support the Bring Your Own Bag Day campaign.

Over 100 Keppel volunteers, known as Green Ambassadors, are also stationed at selected NTUC outlets to help customers bag their groceries.

On the whole, more people are seen bringing their own reusable bags when they shop for groceries.

Seah Kian Peng, Managing Director, NTUC FairPrice, said: "Some stores are reporting that 20 percent of the customers are starting to bring their own bags and some stores are reporting figures as high as 80 percent. I think these are all very encouraging signs and we need to build on this because we want to make this a part of our lifestyle."

New Packaging Agreement aims to reduce waste

By Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia
05 June 2007

SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency (NEA) feels it is time to take a harder look at reducing waste.

So it has teamed up with over 500 industry partners (companies from five industries) to cut down on the amount of packaging waste produced.

Singaporeans dispose of nearly 7,000 tonnes of solid waste everyday, according to 2006 figures.

Most of it comes from packaging.

According to the NEA, the volume of solid waste has increased by nearly six times in the last 30 years.

The NEA believes building more landfill sites and incinerator plants is not a long-term solution.

One way forward is to reduce the amount of packaging produced.

And the Packaging Agreement, which takes effect in July, is a positive step towards this.

It is based on the idea that those who make, sell or use products should be responsible for their environmental impact.

This is called product stewardship.

And industry players say they support the move which they feel comes at the right time.

"I think industry is ready, because a lot of us are exporting, and some of them are also facing problems with regulations on packaging in some other parts of the world," says Albert Lim, Chairman of the Packaging Council of Singapore.

So the information-sharing processes provided for in the agreement will allow them to better understand and comply with these regulations.

"Right now, with the cost of packaging going up so high, the freight costs going up so high, the logistics costs going up so high, they may want to cut back. But can the consumer accept? That is one big question mark," says Sunny Koh, Chairman, Food & Beverage Industry Group, Singapore Manufacturers' Federation.

"Now the only fear ... is whether the consumer can accept, or whether they will be seen as cutting corners."

But others believe Singaporeans will come round to the idea.

"The agreement also tries to drive more eco-friendly types of packaging, packaging that can be more easily recycled for example, or packaging that is derived from material that is sustainable in nature.

"So in a way you can have your elaborate packaging, you have to be a bit more innovative about how that packaging is designed and what it's made from," says Howard Shaw, Executive Director, Singapore Environment Council.

The Packaging Agreement lasts for five years, and will first target the Food and Beverage industry.

The NEA says this is because the level of recycling of F&B packaging waste is the lowest compared to say, the construction industry.

This is partly due to stricter regulations on food-safe packaging that limit recycling.

F&B packaging waste also tends to be contaminated by other waste, making it costly and difficult to recycle.

It is also voluntary.

"Voluntary agreements allow some scope to be flexible, because once you insist on legislation then what will happen is that it will become hard and fast, and costs will go up.

"What we want to do is for people to learn as we go along, what is the best way to adopt environmentally-friendly packaging design," says Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister, Environment and Water Resources.

Fast food chain KFC has done away with paper mats on its trays, an example cited by Dr Yaacob on how companies are cutting down on waste. - CNA/yy

Clubs, breweries do their bit to conserve environment

By Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia
05 June 2007

SINGAPORE: Party-goers guzzle hundreds of bottles of beer at Zouk Club each night.

And every week, over 6,000 bottles are collected for recycling.

Zouk also employs water saving measures and energy efficient lighting to cut utility costs by about 15 per cent.

And now the club is in talks with environmental groups to organise what it calls "green" activities.

"It involves theme parties which... revolve around everything green... something that we do every couple of months.

"We are hoping the next one will be very green, and beyond that we are also talking to some people about a possible pageant that involves people who are highly conscious of something right for the environment," said Tracy Phillips, Marketing Manager, Zouk.

The Ministry of Sound (MOS) is also making the right moves to conserve the environment.

It is hoping to reduce its utility bill by some 20 per cent by moderating the air-conditioning system.

"Perhaps [we’ll] work with CapitaLand on an arrangement where throughout the entire Cannery, including MOS... have the air conditioning turned down to a minimum level.

"Or maybe not have each and every single one of the air vents switched on in the afternoons and early evenings where some of these bars are still open," said Calvin Sio, Marketing Director, LifeBrandz Ltd.

MOS says more people (15 per cent) are also ordering bottled beers, cutting down on the need to wash glasses afterwards.

All the empty bottles end up in a bin centre before they are sent to Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) to be recycled.

Bottles and crates collected from across the island are stored at a holding area in the brewery where they are all set for a thorough cleaning.

A fully automated system separates the bottles from the crates and sends both to massive washers.

The bottles about to go into the washer have their labels removed.

They will also go through a bath filled with caustic soda to remove the aluminium foil on them.

Separately, there are also spray jets to wash the inside of the bottles.

This machine can process 18,000 bottles in an hour.

Once cleaned and inspected, the bottles are re-filled and re-labelled.

The Returnable Glass Line runs round the clock and occupies 25 per cent of the packaging hall.

APB says it recycles about 43 million bottles a year, and generates a savings of 10 cents on each of them. - CNA/yy

NEA launches campaign to encourage shoppers to use reusable bags

By Wong Mun Wai, Channel NewsAsia
11 April 2007 2242 hrs

SINGAPORE : You can do your bit to help cut down global warming - all you have to do is buy a reusable shopping bag, and use it in place of plastic bags which are harmful to the environment.

This is part of a new campaign by Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) which starts next week.

It is aimed at reducing the amount of waste created.

This latest campaign by the NEA is about changing mindsets of shoppers.

That is why it's working with seven food retailers to sell reusable bags.

From next week, shoppers who still want a plastic bag will be asked to make a 10 cent donation.

And starting in May, the first Wednesday of each month will be dedicated for shoppers to bring their own bag.

The NEA hopes to increase the low 2% of shoppers using reusable bags.

But bringing your own bag clearly needs some getting used to.

"Well I guess you would have to remember to bring it all the time. That's one. And I wonder how big it is as it may be a bit inconvenient if you bring it along with you all the time, especially if you're on a bus or on a MRT," says one member of the public.

"It is good but habits are hard to change. Moreover, they are still giving us free plastic bags," says another.

Singapore consumes 2.5 billion plastic bags each year.

"We noticed that over the years, more and more plastic bags are being used. So we felt it is important that we start educating our people on how they should use the plastic bags," says Lee Yuen Hee, CEO of NEA.

Singapore incinerates its waste plastic bags and burning a tonne of them produces almost 2,900 kilograms of carbon dioxide - the gas that causes global warming.

Global warming is the reason why glaciers melt, causing sea levels to rise. And that is a serious issue for islands like Singapore.

And some plastic bags end up as rubbish, polluting beaches and clogging up waterways & drains.

"Each year, we do waste studies in incineration plants, and found a large amount of plastic bags unused and thrown away by people as trash items. This indicates that there is huge room for us to cut down the wastage," says Yang Hong, Senior Environment Health Executive, Resource Conservation Department, NEA.

And that's why, instead of promoting retailers to switch to biodegradable bags, NEA's strategy is to focus on public education, as everyone has a part to play. - CNA /ls