Technical Report; Full Draft #2 : Plastic Usage Management

1.      Background 

This proposal has been developed in response to a call for a proposal made by Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) to recommend solutions to improve the new campus, SIT Punggol. The team decided to work on plastic waste management in SIT Punggol, focusing on the beverages’ packaging waste.

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) (2019), plastic production around the world saw a dramatic increase from 15 million tonnes in 1964 to 311 million tonnes in 2014. The article also mentioned that the number is expected to double again over the next 20 years.  As these statistics demonstrate, single-use plastics are a popular choice amongst consumers. As plastic production keeps increasing, the possibility of plastic waste will also increase. In fact, 8 billion metric ton of plastic waste is being produced in the world (Parker, 2018).

As there is so much plastic waste, it is crucial on how effectively it can be managed as plastic is a type of material that is difficult to biodegrade. According to Wright (2018), plastics can take up to 450 years to degrade, depending on the exact type that was used to make it. As such most plastics are often sent to be disposed of in landfills. However, some plastic waste ends up in the ocean. According to the United Nations Environment Program (2017), between 4.8 and 12.7 million tons of plastic are dumped in the ocean every year. All these actions cause pollution and will affect the biodiversity of nature. One example is an article on a pilot whale that died as a result of 80 pieces of trash found in its stomach (Sriring, 2018). 

Singapore contributes to plastic pollution through its high usage of plastics in the country.  According to a study by Singapore Environment Council (SEC) (2018), Singaporeans use at least 1.76 billion plastics such as bottles, bags and other disposable items yearly, in which only less than 20% are recycled. This is an issue to a city like Singapore as the majority of Singapore’s non-recyclable waste is incinerated and shipped to an offshore island nearby, called Semakau island. Geddie (2018) reported that Semakau Island, Singapore’s only landfill, is expected to be filled up by 2035. Originally, Semakau island was expected to last till 2045. However, due to the amount of waste generated that has increased over the years, the projected lifespan of the landfill was shortened. 

The role of preventing more plastics from being produced also lies in the daily activities of a person. One of the main culprits for the extensive amount of plastic used can be attributed to F&B businesses. To address the issue of plastic waste in Singapore, SIT can play a part by ensuring that F&B operators will take measures to reduce plastic packaging. 

As SIT Punggol is designed to be an integrated campus where it “integrates applied research and innovation”, the team has decided to use the upcoming SIT Punggol as a testbed before recommending this proposal to other beverages stalls in Singapore. As it is surrounded by the Punggol community and business park, this will allow for integration which would generate opportunities for students and industry professionals to work on projects together that can contribute back to the community (SIT, 2019). 

1.1.           Current situations in Singapore

ZeroWaste SG (2018) has also published a guide to encourage food and beverage (F&B) operators to reduce plastic usage. In this guide, auditors issued a rating for popular F&B operators based on efforts in reducing plastic usage, persuade consumers to adopt a Bring Your Own (BYO) culture and suggest other things for them to contribute more. The results published in this guide show that the majority of F&B operators are open to the concept of a BYO culture.

The ideal situation would be for stores selling beverages under Singapore Food Agency (SFA), should not use plastic cups for their drinks. The SFA should include regulations for the shops to omit plastic for their cups, straws, and carriers.

1.2.           Problem Statement

The amount of plastic waste contributed by beverages consumption is high due to the extensive amount of usage of single-use plastics. This poses plastic pollution threat to the ocean which would, in turn, contribute to climate change.

1.3.           Purpose Statement

The purpose of this proposal is to provide feasible solutions to reduce plastic usage from beverage stalls in Singapore. This is to ensure that Singapore’s plastic waste situation can be alleviated. In addition, the upcoming Punggol campus can adopt this system to test for the feasibility of the idea island-wide.

2.      Proposed Solutions
The team took reference from the data generated from the survey (Refer to Appendix C) and researched the current happenings in other countries and found that some of the solutions can also be applied in the context of Singapore, making use of the upcoming SIT Punggol as a trial before recommending to implement the solution island-wide.

2.1.           Dispenser-Type Beverages

PepsiCo (2019) has launched a new “hydration platform” in the form of a smart dispenser. (Refer to Appendix A) The consumer will bring their own bottle/container to the smart dispenser, then the dispenser will scan the consumer’s unique QR code and dispense according to the consumer’s choice. As the smart dispenser system uses QR code, it will remember the consumer’s preferences. It will also automatically track the daily consumption of fluids by the number of refills and the reduced “environmental impacts” by using the system. 

Unlike PepsiCo where they adopt a smart system for dispensing drinks, there is another type of dispenser in the market that utilizes a similar idea as PepsiCo but it is more applicable for traditional handmade drinks. In one of NUS’s canteens, there are dispensers for common drinks like hot coffee and tea. (Refer to Appendix B) The drinks operator will make the drink in bulk, then they will put it in the dispenser and consumers will fill their cups with their preferred drinks after paying for it. 

The use of such dispensers for beverages in stores can help to reduce stress on Singapore’s plastic problem by encouraging consumers to use their own containers and reduce the need for unnecessary packaging.

2.2.           Rental Cups

Currently, beverage stalls normally provide a plastic cup when a consumer makes a purchase. This ‘rental cups’ method is a new service introduced in Singapore by the company Revolv with the aim to cut out single-use plastics for takeaways. 

How Revolv’s system works is when a customer buys a cup of coffee to go, he/she will pay a deposit amount on top of the price of the beverage. Customers will get their deposit back when they return the cup at another participating outlet, and no washing is required.

Mahmud (2019) stated that “A new service recently launched in Singapore wants to replace single-use plastic in takeaways with reusable cups and containers that customers can rent technically for free.” With such service availability, consumers do not need to bring their own cup and are still reducing the use of plastic.

2.3.           Using Sustainable Material as Alternative

F&B businesses have started to phase out plastic straws in the effort to reduce plastic waste. Fast food companies such as Burger King and KFC have stopped providing customers with plastic straws unless there is a request for it. The usefulness of the straw would only last as long as the drink, after which it will be treated as trash. Hence, reusable straws will ensure that people are able to consume their drinks without causing pollution. One such material that can be used to make these reusable straws are stainless steel.

3.      Benefits

3.1.           Dispenser-Type Beverages

The use of dispensers allows people to store their preferred choice of beverage in their own bottles or cups. This reduces the need for plastic bottles to be manufactured which will eliminate the additional cost and in turn, increase the savings for businesses. 

Beverages that are normally bottled can be replaced by the dispenser. This will not only cut down the plastic bottle usage but also help the consumer to pick up a habit of bringing their own cup or bottle all the time. Such dispensers allow better efficiency because the system would now be self-service and customers will no longer require another person to get the drinks for them.

3.2.           Rental Cups

Rental cups/containers allow customers to patronize stores that only provide disposables takeaway without producing packaging wastage. This is good as the savings on the packaging can be utilized elsewhere. Also, the reduced hassle for consumers to bring their own cups/containers will encourage consumers to participate.

3.3.           Using Sustainable Material as Alternative

Steel is a metal that can be used to make cups and straws respectively. The material is known to be durable and can last a long time in terms of wear and tear. Thus, the use of steel straws can reduce the need for manufacturing plastic for beverages in the long term.

4.      Limitations

Apart from benefits, the solutions we provided has drawbacks as well. This way, our stakeholders will be able to weigh the pros and cons of each solution and decide which solution to put into practice.

4.1.           Dispenser-Type Beverages

It is only limited to homemade drinks such as milo and coffee. This might also lead to an uneven mixture over a period of time and difficulties in maintaining the temperature. A consumer might abuse it by taking more than what they paid for. The last challenge that will be faced is what will occur when the dispenser is empty. 

As compared to noncarbonated drinks, carbonated drinks require a carbon dioxide tank (CO2 tank) to produce the carbonated effect. Additional human resources will then be required to replace the CO2 tank.

4.2.           Rental Cups

The rental system of cups and containers require enormous logistical effort. It also relies heavily on consumers to follow the standards and customers may not be able to return the product in good condition and on time. Since this program is not widely implemented at the moment, users may not be able to access the service.

4.3.           Using Sustainable Material as Alternative

Given that stainless steel is a good conductor of heat, the straws made from stainless steel cannot be used for hot drinks. Since straws are long in nature, when washing, it will be hard to reach the inner side of the middle straw segment thus leading to hygiene issues.

5.      Evaluation

After much deliberation on the benefits and limitations of all three solutions, the team has decided that having a system where consumers can use their personal bottle to collect their drinks from the dispenser will be the most suitable option to counter the high use of plastic packaging.

With the implementation of this system, the amount of plastic packaging required for pre-packed drinks and instant takeaway beverages will be reduced as consumers will have to use their own bottles. This system, compared to the use of alternate materials, will be more suitable because it does not require a huge amount of investment and the campus can be set up as an ideal testbed for this system. 

The system, however, has its limitations. Customers who do not have a bottle in hand might not be able to proceed in making their purchase. Hence, we have thought of the integration of a rental cup system, similar to Revolv’s, which will allow people to have a choice of renting a cup. This would allow people to enjoy their drinks while eliminating the need for businesses to supply disposable cups in the event if the consumers do not have their bottles with them and reusable cups are also not available.

6.      Methodology

This section illustrates the methods used by the team to gather information for the report.

6.1.           Primary Research

The team conducted a survey to find out what are people’s thoughts of owning a reusable straw or cup.

Through this survey, the team was able to get first-hand data on the percentage of people who own reusable straw or cup and the reasons why they do not own them. Also, we were able to find out the reasons behind people’s unwillingness to bring out their own reusable straw or cup although they do own one. 

6.2.           Secondary Research

Each of the team members did research to retrieve statistics of the amount of plastic waste over the past few years, benefits, and solutions to limitations. The majority of the research was extracted from trustable news articles or journals. Through the research process, the team has also gained an initial insight into the research problem.

7.      Conclusion

The team believes that with a dispenser integrated with the rental cup system, the need for plastic for packaging will decrease. This is because it removes the unnecessary packaging step from the traditional manufacturing chain in beverage production. With the Punggol campus built by 2021, it can be used as a testbed in line with the goals of the Zero waste master plan. 

After which, SFA could implement this system for beverage stalls at other educational institutes. In the long run, perhaps SFA can introduce it across the beverage industry to combat the plastic waste issue in Singapore.