Study on Environmental Impact of Disposable Food Packaging
Ministry of Sustainability and the EnvironmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns MP Miss Cheng Li Hui’s inquiry regarding the results of a 2016 study on the environmental impact of disposable food packaging and recent usage trends. Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli B M M replied that the study concludes in late 2017 and noted that packaging waste constitutes one-third of Singapore's annual domestic waste. While waste is managed through incineration, the Ministry is encouraging businesses and consumers to reduce excessive usage and adopt reusables to conserve resources. Specific measures include disallowing the use of disposables for dine-in at new hawker centres, such as Our Tampines Hub, Pasir Ris, and Yishun. The Ministry will explore further ways to reduce the use of disposable food packaging by working with stakeholders and utilizing the findings from the ongoing study.
Transcript
66 Miss Cheng Li Hui asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what are the results of the tender called in August 2016 to study the life-cycle assessment and environmental impact of disposable food packaging; and (b) whether the quantity of disposable food packaging used has increased in the last three years.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: The National Environment Agency (NEA) awarded the study on how different types of disposable food packaging materials compare in terms of cost and environmental impact in September 2016. The study is expected to conclude in the second half of 2017.
Between 2014 and 2016, the amount of domestic waste disposed of in Singapore was around 1.7 million tonnes per year, of which about one-third was packaging waste. Packaging waste includes disposable food packaging. Though the amount of packaging waste disposed of has remained fairly constant over the past few years, the amount may increase with population and economic growth.
My Ministry manages the impact of plastic packaging on the environment through the safe incineration of waste rather than direct landfilling. However, it is important that we also continue to make progress on measures to reduce packaging waste.
While my Ministry recognises that plastic bags and disposable takeaway containers are frequently used out of convenience, we strongly encourage businesses to reduce excessive usage, and consumers to use their own reusable bags and takeaway food carriers. Doing so would help conserve valuable resources and reduce the overall waste volume.
We will continue to work with manufacturers, retailers and environmental groups to encourage consumers to reduce the use of disposable food packaging. More recently, for new hawker centres, such as at Our Tampines Hub, Pasir Ris and Yishun, we have taken the additional step of disallowing the use of disposables for dining in at these hawker centres. We will look into more ways to reduce the use of disposable food packaging based on the results of the ongoing study.