{"id":11139,"date":"2022-10-25T14:38:48","date_gmt":"2022-10-25T06:38:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/td2htech.com\/synergixtech_dev\/\/?post_type=news-event&p=11139"},"modified":"2023-10-31T16:20:00","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T08:20:00","slug":"zero-waste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/td2htech.com\/synergixtech_dev\/zero-waste\/","title":{"rendered":"Waste Management: What is Zero Waste?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Waste<\/p>\n

According to Towards Zero Waste, in 2017, Singapore did reach about <\/span>7.7 million tonnes of waste<\/span><\/a>, increasing seven-fold over the past 40 years. Facing this issue, the country has been working towards becoming a zero-waste nation by launching many programs. For instance, reducing the consumption of materials, reusing and recycling to give them a second lease of life, etc. <\/span><\/p>\n

In today\u2019s article, we would like to give you a detailed explanation of the Zero Waste policy, showing why it is favoured by not only Singapore but many other nations from continent to continent.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Zero Waste?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Zero Waste was first launched as a Singapore government policy. Now it also refers to the lifestyle of striving to use as little single-use plastics as possible, instead of using sustainable and reusable alternatives. In other words, it means that you send as little as possible to landfills and replace as much as possible daily things with green or eco-friendly products. These products can be reusable, hygiene, more sustainable, or plastic-free. This lifestyle will ultimately help to protect the environment, benefit communities, and support a circular economy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is Zero Waste Important?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Singapore\u2019s one and only landfill, Semakau Landfill, is predicted to <\/span>run out of space by 2035<\/span><\/a>. Moreover, the time needed to build a new waste-to-energy incineration plant is every 7 to 10 years, and is every 30 to 35 years for a new offshore landfill. This is unsustainable in land scarce Singapore. Therefore, zero waste is crucial for Singapore now. It will help to conserve, reduce pollution and waste costs, increase the lifespan of Semakau Landfill and incineration plants, as well as mitigate climate change.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2019, Singapore officially ran the Zero Waste Masterplan (ZWM), aiming to build a sustainable, resource-efficient, and climate-resilient nation. The program also targets to raise awareness of waste issues and articulate the government\u2019s efforts to adopt a circular economy approach to sustainable waste and resource management. Accordingly, ZWM focuses on 3 waste streams that have high generation and low recycling rates: Food, E-waste and Packaging including plastics. The approaching methods are more responsible and holistic, including Sustainable Production, Sustainable Consumption and Sustainable Waste & Resource Management.<\/span><\/p>\n

Zero Waste Principles<\/b><\/h3>\n

Zero waste principles include 3 main sections of society that represent specific stages of the waste streams. They are Producer Responsibility, Political Responsibility, and Community Responsibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

Producers are the forepart, taking responsibility for product design and manufacturing. In this stage, products must have eco-design, resource efficiency, and \u201cindustry symbiosis\u201d (the waste of a company may be valuable for another company). Community takes the backside for consumption and disposal. All consumers should favour green-labelled products while committing to reuse, recycle and even donate. In the middle, Political responsibility acts as a link between the Community and Producer. And its roles are enforcing new legislation to promote zero waste principles and enhancing environmental & human health.<\/span><\/p>\n

Zero Waste Hierarchy<\/b><\/h3>\n

Zero waste hierarchy is an essential list of strategies and actions designed to strengthen the zero-waste system. This hierarchy is built based on the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) to sort out a list of priorities ranging from best to worst usage of materials.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Zero<\/p>\n