Chan Yong Soon, Kendrew (SOC), Lin Xuan Ying (FASS), Lim Yi He (FOS), Zhou Yurou (SOC)
Academic Advisor: Ms. Sadaf Ansari
In 2018, Singapore generated almost 950,000 tonnes of plastic waste (NEA, 2019). Pulau Semakau landfill is projected to be filled up by 2035 (MEWR, 2020) at this rate, and reducing single-use plastic waste is therefore crucial. Our project objective was to test the receptivity to providing dine-in customers the option of reusable cups, at NUS foodcourts. We collaborated with the Fine Food drink stall vendor in UTown, for conducting a two-week pilot. Reusable cup uptake numbers were tracked from the vendor’s billing. Data was also collected from consumers using surveys before and after implementation. The calculated break-even point was achieved within 2 weeks of the pilot; the environmental impact of 75 reusable cups was balanced by the disposable cups saved. We have shared our findings with NUS OES, that clearly demonstrate that providing reusable cups for dine-in customers at food courts can be adopted as a sustainable solution to reduce single-use plastic waste.