Plastic recycling, disposal efforts to get boost: Grace Fu
Singapore to invest in research to tackle issue, ensure less waste
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Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu (in pink) with City Developments Limited (CDL) group chief executive officer Sherman Kwek and CDL chief sustainability officer Esther An on a tour of the exhibition at CDL's Green Gallery in the Singapore Botanic Gardens yesterday. The exhibition was launched as part of Climate Action Week 2021.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
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The nation cannot do away with the use of plastic entirely, especially as its functionality has come to the fore amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead, solutions should tackle how it can be recycled or disposed of sustainably, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu yesterday.
Plastic's many important properties - being low cost, lightweight and waterproof - also make it useful for hygiene purposes.
Raising the example of how plastic disposables were used for the distribution of meals to migrant workers during the surge in Covid-19 cases in worker dormitories, she pointed out that plastic can be used to deliver items in a contactless and hygienic way.
Given that Singapore's recycling rate is not high, the disposal of plastic must be improved so it does not pollute landfills and oceans, she added.
Thus, the Government will invest in research to develop Singapore's recycling capability, while also ensuring that less plastic is being used in packaging, said Ms Fu.
She was speaking at a panel discussion called "Building a Sustainable Future - Collaboration Beyond Borders and Sectors" on the various collaborative efforts between the public and private sectors in support of the Singapore Green Plan 2030 and international efforts.
The discussion was part of the opening ceremony of an exhibition jointly launched by real estate company City Developments Limited (CDL) and the National Parks Board (NParks) yesterday.
Named "Change the Present, Save the Future", the exhibition was launched at CDL's Green Gallery in the Singapore Botanic Gardens as part of Climate Action Week 2021. It also showcases NParks' extensive greening efforts and community engagement, along with CDL's green buildings and sustainable innovations, among other things.
The exhibition, which is open to the public from today until March next year, is net zero-certified, meaning the energy required for running the exhibition and its multimedia fixtures is offset by on-site solar generation and off-site renewable energy.
The other panellists at the event were Canada's High Commissioner to Singapore Lynn McDonald; World Wide Fund for Nature Singapore's chief executive R. Raghunathan; and Mr Max Loh, Singapore and Brunei managing partner and EY Asean IPO Leader at Ernst & Young. The session was moderated by CDL's chief sustainability officer Esther An.
Among the issues discussed was the importance of going green so that Singapore can remain competitive on the world stage, as well as the key role played by businesses in reducing carbon emissions.
Ms Fu said: "Singapore's carbon emissions account for 0.1 per cent of the global carbon emissions, but if the rest of the world's 99.9 per cent of carbon emissions continue at this rate, 100 per cent of Singapore will be inundated.
"So we have every interest for our own existence to encourage, to facilitate global action."
Ms Fu also pointed out that driving global emissions to net zero should be an inclusive process, as many developing countries may struggle as they lack the resources to do so.
