Why Do I Want You To Know More About Me & My Cause

Because I have something important to share.

Yes, it is that simple.

Being part of an upcoming pageant in Singapore, I believe it has presented me the opportunity to publicize the thing that I have (for the longest time) been wanting to share with Singaporeans.

In the back of our very occupied head, we all thought about things relating to this topic at some time in our Singaporean lives...

Rubbish.

In Singapore, we are very privileged. We throw things away down a chute and if things goes well, we wont have to go near what's right at the bottom of it.

These people will...

Such a job seems to require a certain type of tolerance that Singaporeans lack...

But the state of the bottom of a chute is a reality that we have been ignoring because we dont have to handle them personally.

QUIZ TIME

Do you know what happens to these rubbish? Do you know where it goes to?

ANSWER

Yes, it goes to our very effective incineration plants.

By the way, we have five of them.

The main purpose of having them is to reduce the volume of our waste to as little as 10 per cent of its original volume. I dont want to get very touchy about how this contributes to climate change but, using this procedure, does affect our air quality. 

The ash from incinerated waste eventually has to go into our landfill and we have only one landfill:

Pulau Semakau

It covers a total area of 3.5 square kilometres, has a capacity of 63 million m³ and...

It is estimated that this area will last Singapore until 2045.

REFLECTION TIME

What will happen to our rubbish after 2045? How will the lack of a landfill space affect us?

Will we resort to exporting our trash???

What kind of effects will that have to the importing countries?

What if we end up having to live with our waste around us?

Currently, based on MEWR's website, the ash are being recycled into road material and our recycling rates are optimistic... But honestly, we all know that percentage comes mostly from the construction and industry sectors.

The Not-So-Big Fact of our community recycling effort is that it is down right pathetic.

Honestly, I won't mince it.

Ideally, we want a yellow bin full of cans only; a blue bins full of recyclable paper only (NO TISSUE PAPERS); and a red bin full of  recyclable plastic (NO plastic with number 3 or 6).

However, this is the reality of our recyclable bins.

Very close to the dramatized reality in the video above, right?

WHO AM I?

I am an ordinary female living in Singapore,

with a passion for arts, learning more about the environment and all things beautiful. 

The term "Beauty Queen" latched on after I started taking part in pageants,

it is merely a characteristic that became part of me as I progress.

I have been volunteering in a NGO with a Green focus ever since my University days and it has been feeding my passion to learn more.. and boy~ are there lots to learn.

SO WHAT'S MY CAUSE??

Composting

What It Means?

Recycling and decomposing of organic matter, like food waste and garden waste, into a nutrient rich fertilizer.

It is a long shot and trust me, it is going to be a tough road...

People in the industry have told me it's like driving an old dying manual car up a super steep road.

I am determined.

Recycling plastic, cans and paper is one thing... I want to target on food waste.

Do You Know?

In Singapore, the National Environment Agency (NEA) reported that 0.618 million tonnes of food were thrown away and only 12% was recycled in 2012.

That amounts to more than 100kg of food waste generated per person in 2012.

Now, food waste are biodegradable. Based on my personal experience, it takes roughly 2 weeks for green food waste (fruit peels, vegetables) to decompose completely with the right condition. If we can do our part to reduce such waste from ending up in incineration plants and into our garden plants instead, how much better would that be?

So in the next few months to come, my goal is to start a program to share with fellow Singaporean on how we can turn our food waste into fertilizers. I am keen in getting people to really do it and not for a short period of time, but for future sustainability... as a hobby... and as a habit. 

Composting and vermicomposting are really therapeutic and you really dont have to do much once the balance system is in placed. It doesnt take much time too, just 10 mins each day.

If you are interested to learn more, do follow me on my Facebook Page for updates (I just starting composting with earthworms), email me if you wish to collaborate or drop me a comment down below to talk to me.

With that I would like to end with this thought:

Waste is not waste but potential resources to be used again.