On August 16, Peninsula's Singapore team organised a "Take Action on Waste" activity along with WISTA Singapore and SSA Young Executives Group (YEG), that combined hands-on litter collection with insightful learning on waste management. 44 participants collected 47 kg of litter, with Group 4 collecting the most (12 kg) and being crowned the winning team. The breakdown of litter collected by other groups was: Group 1 – 6 kg, Group 2 – 9 kg, Group 3 was disbanded after a reshuffle, Group 5 – 5 kg, Group 6 – 4 kg, Group 7 – 7 kg, and Group 8 – 4 kg.
Participants were also educated on the urgent waste challenges facing Singapore. The country’s only landfill, Semakau, is projected to reach full capacity by 2035, despite Singapore being one of the world’s greenest cities. This underscores the critical need for sustainable habits and actions.
Further insights were gained through the screening of the documentary "Wasted," which highlighted key challenges and potential solutions for global waste issues, especially in Asia:
Challenges:
Misleading Recycling Symbols: Resin Identification Codes (RICs) give a false impression that many products can be recycled, while in reality, they often cannot.
Asia as a Dumping Ground: Many parts of Asia continue to receive global waste, despite some countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines pushing back against imports.
Solutions:
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Holding manufacturers accountable for the full lifecycle of their products can drive waste reduction.
Public Awareness and Pressure: Heightened environmental consciousness can push governments and corporations to take more significant actions against plastic pollution.
By combining hands-on action with education, Peninsula continues to take meaningful steps toward a cleaner, more sustainable future. This event reaffirms our commitment to clean waters and a cleaner world, one step at a time. The ocean is our office and we are committed to protect it.
#EnergyFlowing #WasteReduction #Sustainability #ZeroWaste #ProtectOurWaters
