Plastic bag

[Gizmore]

This is a way overdue initiatives. The charges for plastic bags should be sufficiently high to put off ppl from using.

 

I would think $0.30 would be a good start. 

 

Singapore is small enough to ween off the use of plastic bags. My wife and I have stop taking pastic bags even for those times when we suddenly thought of something to buy from supermarket and did not bring our own recycle bag. We end up hugging those stuff and walk home. My wife will sometimes stuff the items into her handbag. 

[DACH]

Some food seller use styrofoam even for non-takaway dining.

Then you can choose to boycott eating from the stall and only eat from those whom don't use Styrofoam utensils and packagings.

Actually, I disagree with reward scheme. Reuse, reduce and recycle are values which should be in grain inside us, the next generation and all subsequent generations.

If we really do appreciate the effort of people to reuse, reduce and recycle, it should be encouraged, and not punish.

[Lala81]

Don't need plastic bag to wrap diaper with poop?

Don't need plastic bag for our food waste?

 

I mean more effort should be spent on improving paper bags or degradable bags that can be sold.

I find it very stupid when the supermarket cashier overload a bag with too many items then it gets torn before it reaches home making it unusable to line a bin. 

 

That to me is WASTAGE.

 

Make all food outlets only use paper/cardboard containers for take out will be more practical.

putting food together in a common bag also has some health risks.

Say u buying poultry or meat and your vegetables together, that's food contamination while u are on your way home.

 

Of course at ikea or what, then sure they have a successful no plastic bag policy cos their things are all not food products!

[Kusje]

Don't need plastic bag to wrap diaper with poop?

Don't need plastic bag for our food waste?

 

I mean more effort should be spent on improving paper bags or degradable bags that can be sold.

I find it very stupid when the supermarket cashier overload a bag with too many items then it gets torn before it reaches home making it unusable to line a bin. 

 

That to me is WASTAGE.

 

Make all food outlets only use paper/cardboard containers for take out will be more practical.

putting food together in a common bag also has some health risks.

Say u buying poultry or meat and your vegetables together, that's food contamination while u are on your way home.

 

Of course at ikea or what, then sure they have a successful no plastic bag policy cos their things are all not food products!

 

This article claims paper (cups) are less environmentally friendly than styrofoam.

 

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/paper-cups-not-an-environmentally-friendly-option-here-either-ex-7540186

[Rayleigh]

Then you can choose to boycott eating from the stall and only eat from those whom don't use Styrofoam utensils and packagings.

 

Sure if i have a choice. In events with catering service, some caterer are still using styrofoam ware, even for live stations and drinks counter. However I do see more and more caterer switching to compost products. Even the LaoFuZi Char Kawy Tiao at Old Airport Road too. Kudos to them. 

[Lala81]

This article claims paper (cups) are less environmentally friendly than styrofoam.

 

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/paper-cups-not-an-environmentally-friendly-option-here-either-ex-7540186

 

yeah. supposedly things like tetrapaks are very difficult to recycle (amalgation of plastics and cardboard). 

 

A lot of environmental issues are complex and not so clear cut. Just like debate of whether using a fuel efficient petrol/diesel is actually less destructive than using a hybrid with lot of batteries and whether the mining of such components are more destructive.

 

 

This article claims paper (cups) are less environmentally friendly than styrofoam.

 

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/paper-cups-not-an-environmentally-friendly-option-here-either-ex-7540186

 

best is bring your own metal tingkat haha.

 

Anyway what i do is that i bring my own chopsticks/spoon to work last time when i used to eat at work. At least plastic spoons/forks/disposable chopsticks can be saved.

[Volvobrick]

I think many environmental zealots do not do their sums nor bother to understand the whole process before pushing for one policy or another.  Don't get me wrong, I love to have a clean and green environment and minimize my impact on the earth.

 

Take the plastic bag issue for example.  As others have pointed out, first we reuse them to bag trash.  How are we going to bag the kitchen and other waste?  Buy dedicated bags?

 

Second, all trash are incinerated to produce electricity, and thus the plastic bags do not require 10,000 years to decompose.  The twice-used plastic bags releases its energy content back into the grid.  No bags burned just means a little more natural gas/coal/oil will be burned to make up the shortfall.

 

Lastly, reusable bags don't last forever.  I don't know for sure, but after 5-10 times of usage, it would probably be too soiled for safe food handling and needs to be replaced (the fossil energy needed to produce and transport a reusable bag is many times that of a plastic bag).  Washing the bags consumes water and energy too.  All these should be taken into consideration.

 

In the end, if the new scheme (scheme!) of charging for plastic bags is implemented, the environment will not benefit.  The supermarkets however will make extra dollars every time we visit them by charging 10-20 cents for a bag that costs 2 cents perhaps.

 

PS.  For takeaway the most environmentally friendly packaging is banana/CB leaves with newspaper.....

 

 

Edited September 25, 2017 by Volvobrick

[Fitvip]

Wtf is seriously wrong with the society today?    

 

Supermarkets in talks to charge for plastic bags

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/supermarkets-in-talks-to-charge-for-plastic-bags

Giant in MY had started it long ago. It is inconvenient, but for good for our future generations...

[Stratovarius]

Not sure about the rest of you. But I do get more plastic bags than I use them. I don't even go the supermarts that often. Threw 1 big pack last year when they got harden and breaks into pieces.

I'm one who agree on charging plastic bags used in supermarts. I don't mind buying proper trash bags that can tied into a tighter knobs before you throw.

[Kxbc]

most of us live in high rise buildings with a common rubbish chute.

 

and for anyone who cooks lunch and dinner themselves (not your domestic helper), they would know how much wet waste is generated from your veges, gills of fish, fish scales, chicken bones etc. Bagging these wet waste in a bag, tying it up and then dumping it into the rubbish chute keeps the chute cleaner, less messy, less wet and less smelly.

 

assuming we do away with these bags and use newspaper to bag waste instead, how do the authorities think they can keep the chute as dry and as clean as now?

 

Even if you wrap the wet waste in the newspaper properly, the liquid in there will gradually weaken the paper and break it before the cleaner comes over for the twice daily collection. That means the chute will be wet and even smellier. this also encourages infestation of vermin and cockroaches.

 

I am all for no plastic bags. But let's have workable, tried and tested solutions.

 

To those on the committee implementing this, I have questions for you.

Do you even throw your own trash?

Do you know how much wet waste is generated with the preparation of every meal?

How do you propose that high rise dwellers (I assume easily 90% of the population in SG) wrap their wet waste in before disposal into the chute (without the mess and stink I have highlighted)?

[Mason016]

most of us live in high rise buildings with a common rubbish chute.

 

and for anyone who cooks lunch and dinner themselves (not your domestic helper), they would know how much wet waste is generated from your veges, gills of fish, fish scales, chicken bones etc. Bagging these wet waste in a bag, tying it up and then dumping it into the rubbish chute keeps the chute cleaner, less messy, less wet and less smelly.

 

assuming we do away with these bags and use newspaper to bag waste instead, how do the authorities think they can keep the chute as dry and as clean as now?

 

Even if you wrap the wet waste in the newspaper properly, the liquid in there will gradually weaken the paper and break it before the cleaner comes over for the twice daily collection. That means the chute will be wet and even smellier. this also encourages infestation of vermin and cockroaches.

 

I am all for no plastic bags. But let's have workable, tried and tested solutions.

 

To those on the committee implementing this, I have questions for you.

Do you even throw your own trash?

Do you know how much wet waste is generated with the preparation of every meal?

How do you propose that high rise dwellers (I assume easily 90% of the population in SG) wrap their wet waste in before disposal into the chute (without the mess and stink I have highlighted)?

They'll just ask you to store your waste at home until it reaches a critical mass. You can then bring it down to the chute. what is so difficult? The committee member's domestic helper does that and it's a far longer distance across the driveway than you from your pigeon hole.

[Kusje]

They'll just ask you to store your waste at home until it reaches a critical mass. You can then bring it down to the chute. what is so difficult? The committee member's domestic helper does that and it's a far longer distance across the driveway than you from your pigeon hole.

 

They'll ask you to buy this.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_disposal_unit

[Mason016]

They'll ask you to buy this.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_disposal_unit

Haha. That one not cheap hor. And cannot grind bak gut bones so you still need to throw them out the window

[Jman888]

most of us live in high rise buildings with a common rubbish chute.

 

and for anyone who cooks lunch and dinner themselves (not your domestic helper), they would know how much wet waste is generated from your veges, gills of fish, fish scales, chicken bones etc. Bagging these wet waste in a bag, tying it up and then dumping it into the rubbish chute keeps the chute cleaner, less messy, less wet and less smelly.

 

assuming we do away with these bags and use newspaper to bag waste instead, how do the authorities think they can keep the chute as dry and as clean as now?

 

Even if you wrap the wet waste in the newspaper properly, the liquid in there will gradually weaken the paper and break it before the cleaner comes over for the twice daily collection. That means the chute will be wet and even smellier. this also encourages infestation of vermin and cockroaches.

 

I am all for no plastic bags. But let's have workable, tried and tested solutions.

 

To those on the committee implementing this, I have questions for you.

Do you even throw your own trash?

Do you know how much wet waste is generated with the preparation of every meal?

How do you propose that high rise dwellers (I assume easily 90% of the population in SG) wrap their wet waste in before disposal into the chute (without the mess and stink I have highlighted)?

 

 

if you google vacuum waste system, it is not a new technology and i believe they are working on it for future developments. 

[Kusje]

Haha. That one not cheap hor. And cannot grind bak gut bones so you still need to throw them out the window

Cannot meh?

 

Thought can dispose human remains also. Saw from those usa horror shows

[Mason016]

Cannot meh?

 

Thought can dispose human remains also. Saw from those usa horror shows ð

 

If we had these, we won't have those human curry cases Liao.

Chicken bones still OK. Bak gut bones, even a 2k food disposer will up lorry

[Kusje]

if you google vacuum waste system, it is not a new technology and i believe they are working on it for future developments.

Solution should be in place first before creating the problem.

[Kxbc]

if you google vacuum waste system, it is not a new technology and i believe they are working on it for future developments. 

 

that's good then. but let's not have it implemented in all high rise homes (new and old) only in 2030 when the no bag rule becomes effective in the next few months.

 

you know why i said 2030? it's the (in)efficiency of the authorities. in my father's hdb estate, they dug up the entrance of the carpark for EPS installation in late 2016. It is now Sep 2017 and the EPS machines are still not installed. Now there is a big hole in between the road which is catered for the machine.

 

and that is just 1 machine in 1 carpark. I cannot imagine how many HDB blocks we have in Singapore.And each block will have at least 3 to 4 chutes (for the older flats), 2 for the old point blocks, 2 to 3 for the new flats with common chutes. That's many chutes.