6% of global GHG emissions come from food losses and waste.
Every year, Singapore generates ~800 million kg of food waste. That is equivalent to the weight of more than 55,000 double-decker buses (NEA)
The preferred method to manage food waste is to avoid generating it. When this is not possible, excess food should be re-distributed or repurposed.
Lastly, food waste should be segregated for recycling and treatment according to the Food Recovery Hierarchy developed by the USEPA .
Implement last-minute deals to avoid waste, partner with one of the existing app if necessary (refer to the suppliers list below).
Donate excess food to associations or individuals.The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) created the Food Recovery Hierarchy to prioritize actions towards prevention and diversion of wasted food.
Monitor your food waste by implementing a food waste tracking system/ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning). It can help you to keep track of your actual waste, follow your actual consumption and therefore decrease stocks & waste.
You may hire a professional to help you on the implementation and tracking of food waste.
Divert food scraps/ waste to feed animals in local farms.
Did you know some farms are specialised in insects, such as the black soldier flies? They can turn food waste into biomaterials.
Used cooking oil can be recycled into biofuel.
Dedicate food waste (okara and soy bean waste) to higher value products.
Coffee grounds are 100% natural and have various practical usage related to gardening, cleaning, scrubbing or technological usage such as fire retardant material. Contract with a specialist to collect them. If you want to compost it by yourself, be aware that used coffee grounds must be detoxified by composting for a minimum of 98 days for plants to benefit from the potassium and nitrogen contained in the roasted beans.
Under the Resource Sustainability Act, several mandatory provisions have been adopted regarding food waste segregation and treatment in Singapore.
From 2021 onwards - Developers of new commercial and industrial premises must set aside space for on-site or off-site food waste treatment systems in their design plans.
From 2024 onwards - All existing large commercial and industrial food waste generators will be required to segregate food waste for treatment using on-site food waste treatment systems (compost) or off-site facility treatment. This includes large hotels and malls, large industrial developments housing food manufacturers, food caterers and food storage warehouses.
To support businesses in their efforts, the National Environment Agency (NEA) has produced a series of food waste minimization guidebooks, which provide advice and examples across the whole value chain:
See details above
The « sustainability journey » may feel overwhelming sometimes, but you are not alone.
Our Buddies have tried, succeeded, failed to implement change in their companies. They share their experience so you can learn, take shortcuts, get inspired and ask questions.
Everybody can become a Buddy and give back to the community; if you are keen, get in touch with us.
My first job was with a major consulting company in Japan. I appreciated my time there, but was always yearning to do something with a greater direct impact, and something that gives me a greater sense of purpose. I am blessed to have the opportunity to travel the world, and be exposed to different perspectives, ways of living and available alternatives!
A series of serendipitous events led to the founding of merchandise.blue with two highly experienced and interesting friends. Merchandise.blue offers merchandise like uniforms, towels and bags in more environmentally progressive textiles made of materials like seaweed, organic cotton and recycled fishing nets.
When the opportunity to open Kizuna arose, it was clear that I wanted to apply similar values and principles to this physical space.
Coming from a background of digital media, film-making, and digital marketing, Yen-Lyng fell into the sustainability field when she joined a waste management company as a Recycling Ambassador. During that time, she saw the many intricacies and challenges facing the very overlooked and underappreciated world of waste. So, when given the opportunity of working on a coffee recycling project, Yen-Lyng jumped at it. She will tell you more about her why and what of coffee recycling in her sharing and the challenges of lauching sustainable projects.
Founder and Director of the consulting business Zero Waste City, Rémi provides engineering consulting services to large commercial and industrial facilities on waste management, energy efficiency, and packaging design.
He has gained a strong experience as a consultant covering a wide range of industries and technologies in New Zealand, Australia, and Singapore.
He is a certified TRUE Advisor (Total Resource Use Efficiency) by the U.S. Green Building Council Inc. This certification recognised his knowledge in Zero Waste programs and his ability to support businesses to achieve the TRUE Zero Waste certification.
Duncan, originally from the UK, has been living & working in Asia for the last 16 years. He runs a creative interior design & project management company delivering projects across the Asia Pacific Region; specialised in retail, F&B and commercial sectors. Duncan is passionate about creating interiors that excite and engage Clients and Customers alike, all through the lens of sustainability.
Tomo is a seasoned development professional having lived and worked in various corners of the world from the Tibetan plateau, Indian drylands, Indonesian tropics, to Japanese metropolises. He has extensive field experience working for international and local development NGOs across Asia and Africa, including Kopernik, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, and the World Bank. He was formerly an Assistant Professor at the Global Leadership Program at the University of Tokyo.
Tomo has a BA in Social Anthropology from Harvard College, a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, and was an Asia Pacific Leadership Program Fellow (2008) and Innovation Fellow (2020) at the East-West Center. In 2014 Tomo was awarded the Dalai Lama’s Unsung Heroes of Compassion Award.
