Damian Lim Jun Yee, Davin William, Heng Dingwen Wayne, Ho Zi Feng, Keith Tan De Shun
Academic Advisor: Dr. Chua Siew Chin
Singapore produces an alarming 60,000 tonnes of electronic waste (e-waste) annually, making us the second largest e-waste producer in the Southeast Asia region. The average Singaporean produces 11kg of e-waste annually. Unfortunately, only 6% of the total e-waste produced in Singapore is being properly recycled. According to NEA Survey, 60% of Singaporean consumers said they do not know or are unsure of how to recycle their e-waste. E-waste is normally traded in/re-sold, thrown away passed to delivery men. There are harmful effects of e-waste on both the environment and human health, due to toxic metals found in phones such as lead. With our preliminary survey, we realized that the lack of awareness is a key reason exacerbating the growing problem of e-waste. As such, we set up an e-waste booth in UTown in NUS to raise awareness of this issue. We liaised closely with external organization, namely a recycling company ViroGreen, who provided us with banners and an e-waste recycling bin, and a phone assessor Next Telecom Pte Ltd. At the booth we put up educational posters, banners and the recycling bin for participants to drop off e-waste. The on-site phone assessor provided a price quote to participants who wish to sell their old phones. The life cycles of such phones will be prolonged as these phones are once again circulated and used, showing participants that everyone can play their part in reducing the amount of e-waste generated. More than 200 people participated at the booth in the two days, and they were made more aware of e-waste.
Keywords: E-waste, Responsible Consumption, Handphone