Waste in the dining area is something we have all experienced, whether it is the edible food we throw in the bin or the plastic packaging used and thrown away everyday.
Only 19% of Food Waste is recycled in Singapore. Taking actions, to reduce our food waste and to better recycle it, can therefore have a positive impact. Moreover, as food waste is visible, it can be a good area for team building and sustainability awareness and trainings.
In this part we provide solutions for companies to reduce waste in the dining area, this includes reducing plastic and cardboard waste as well as food waste.
Install a food analyser to quantify your waste and to better know what type of food and which percentage is wasted. Compare it to the industry average.
It will help you better monitor your stocks.
Talk with your suppliers to take proper action.
To reduce food waste, see our solutions in Food & Beverage category.
8%
of worldwide global GHG emissions come from the food we waste.
(drawdown)
20%
The amount of food waste generated in SG has grown by around 20% over the last 10 years.
(NEA)
Here is a useful Food Recovery Hierarchy to prioritize actions towards prevention and diversion of wasted food.
4.1%
of Singaporeans face moderate to severe food insecurity between 2016 and 2018.
(Socialservice.sg)
6,500
free meals are cooked up daily for collection or delivery by the charity kitchen Willing Hearts.
(willinghearts)
For example:
1.3 billion tonnes
per year of food — fit for human consumption — is either wasted or lost globally.
(The Food and Agriculture Organization - United Nations)
86 times higher
The global warming potential of methane (a gas produced by food thrown away in landfills) compared to CO2 averaged over 20 years.
(The Conversation)
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.
There are different types of food waste treatment system:
The anaerobic digester is only for large volume of organic waste. For the other opportunities above, commercially available systems cover a wide range of volumes. The decision on the technology depends on CAPEX, OPEX, use for by-product post-processing, access to utilities (water and discard collection), agreement with local authorities, space available.
less than 2%
of the valuable biological nutrients infood by-products and organic waste is composted or valorised in cities, worldwide.
(Ellen Mac Arthur Foundation)
19%
only of food waste was recycled in Singapore in 2020.
(NEA)
See above solution (1/2) for information about the different Food Waste Treatment Systems.
See below for more suppliers.
Food contamination can make a packaging non-recyclable. For instance, a clean pizza cardboard box is recyclable. However, when it is contamination with oily food (such as a pizza), the stained cardboard is not recyclable anymore.
Whenever possible, wash or rinse packaging (typically for glass, plastic, and metal packaging) or separate the contaminated parts (typically for paper or cardboard based packaging).
To deal with food contaminated products, it is better to use washable packaging for reuse or recycling. If it is not possible, prioritize using a compostable product that can be thrown along with the rest of the food.
When possible, consider a packaging loop such as Loopedin or Muuse
4% only
of plastic waste is recycled in Singapore. One major hurdle is waste contamination.
(NEA)
Get rid of single-use plastic / styrofoam cups, plates, cutlery, boxes... Replace them with reusable as much as possible.
Upstream, in priority order:
Downstream:
extra 1.3 million kg
of plastic waste was generated during the two-month circuit breaker against COVID-19 in 2020, due to theincreased demand for takeaway and delivery of meals. It is equivalent to the weight of 92 double-decker buses, without counting the disposable masks and PPE used.
(cgs)
32%
of the 78 million tons of plastic packaging produced annually is left to flow into oceans. It equals pouring one garbage truck of plastic into the ocean every minute.
(World Economic Forum)
To understand the difference between biodegradable and compostable, read this article on Ocean Watch
Ceramic is not recyclable so it should NEVER be put in the blue bin.
As a result, keeping it longer is the most sustainable option. Opt for buying solid, good quality dining ware.
As ceramic is reusable, consider all other options before throwing your dining ware.
- if it still can be used:
- if it is broken and cannot be used:
Remember, broken Ceramic dining ware should be discarded with the general waste and not in the blue bins.
Recycle as much as possible (steel, hard plastic, glass...).
For large volume of recyclables, consider working with dedicated waste collectors for each waste stream: glass, metal, hard plastic, cardboard and paper.
For smaller volume of recyclables, the most cost-effective solution is to implement a single-stream mix-recyclable collection and ensure that the waste contractor will do the sorting at their material recovery facility.
If possible, use reusable napkins to minimise use of disposable items. You will need to put in place the adequate cleaning process.
Otherwise, use lightest and least carbon intensive compostable napkins. You will be able to compost them with your food waste in the food digester.
The « green 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.
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.
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.
Entrepreneurial by nature, Claire started ShiokFarm in 2015 when realising the high prices for organic fruit and vegetables in Singapore. Based on the French AMAP model, in which Farmers and a community create a partnership in order to reduce food waste and cost, ShiokFarm aims to provide families and offices in Singapore with affordable organic fruit and vegetables while reducing food waste.
Starting with a small Facebook group, Claire has succeeded in making ShiokFarm an outstanding organic business. ShiokFarm received its BCorp certification in 2023.
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.
Virgile is an academic researcher who works for the CNRS (France) and the National University of Singapore. He heads an international collaborative lab between Singapore and France at the mechanobiology institute.
He is also in charge of the transition towards more sustainable practices in the lab and in the institute. He has already implemented various actions covering energy efficiency, consumables usage reduction, waste management...
I run a business called Bright Green where I work with corporates to engage employees in impact projects in the areas of environmental and social impact. I also facilitate sustainability learning programs to educate employees on developing an eco-friendly mindset and high impact actions they can take in their homes and daily lives.
Before founding Bright Green in 2020, I have been working in Project Management, Change Management and Continuous Improvement roles within Human Resources and Recruitment. I love that I get to work with organisations that are making commitments to net-zero and inspire employees to make an impact!
