Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Major initiative to induce eco-friendly mindset can go a long way

The letter “More Govt action needed to help tackle climate change” (April 9) raises many important points.

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp
Barbara Hirayama

The letter “More Govt action needed to help tackle climate change” (April 9) raises many important points.

A mindset change is needed to tackle the problems of climate change at the grassroots level, but this is often lacking due to other priorities, lack of time or awareness and so on.

Recycling bins, when they are available, are often not used properly. When there are separate ones for sorting types of trash, they are sometimes used indiscriminately.

Single-use plastic bags in supermarkets are easy to start with by charging customers 10 cents per plastic bag at stores, which the National University of Singapore does.

In this case, the money collected goes into an “eco-tax” fund and has reportedly resulted in a 70 per cent drop in the use of plastic bags. It is a small step but one that makes people think twice, thereby creating awareness of wastage in general.

For years, I have appreciated (and benefited from) the 10-cent rebate from a local supermarket chain for taking my own bags, but this is not the norm across all supermarkets.

Last October, a mandatory charge of 5 pence (S$0.10) on plastic bags was introduced in England at supermarkets and large stores, and the resulting change in habits was almost instant.

Individual effort is important, but sometimes, a major initiative is needed to make an impact.

The Heartland E-Waste Recycling Programme is one such important effort, and if it could include batteries, so much the better. I am reluctant to throw batteries in with general waste due to their possible toxicity, but have not found anywhere to recycle them.

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.