Singaporeans don’t recycle very much. It’s not out of a malicious intent to destroy the earth – sometimes it’s just easier to toss things into a bin and pour it down the rubbish chute. Human beings are programmed to do what’s convenient and efficient. And in the short-term, that’s usually not recycling. According to the NEA website, Singapore produces enough waste to fill 1,030 football fields. That’s an astonishing number by any count.
It is my aspiration for Singapore that over the next fifty years, the new generation of Singaporeans will grow up in an environment where green-friendly measures are the new normal. Instead of a society where sorting our trash is seen as a bonus, being conscious of our waste will one day be the socially acceptable standard that everyone strives to reach. I hope for a Singapore where eco measures will be institutionalised and incorporated into our workplace and home, be it through categorised rubbish chutes in HDB flats or sustainable practices in the office. There’s always the tendency to dismiss individual effort, but until we take ownership of our environment, we won’t recognise our collective power to shape our home. It starts with something as simple as re-using shampoo bottles and bringing a cloth bag to NTUC. Let’s do this together.
