Previously, we talked about the COVID-19 pandemic and how it’s causing a spike in the usage of disposables (we’re talking about both face masks and takeaway containers, etc). Now that we’ve brought this issue to your attention, we’ll like to try something new!
Today, we have an exciting challenge for all of you. This is a very simple challenge that we would love for you to try: in a single day, collect every single disposable that you have used (excluding hygiene products like tissues and toilet paper of course) and review all this rubbish that you’re going to potentially discard.
I’ve done it already, so let me share what I’ve used through the day while staying at home:
- Plastic wrapper for cheese
- Plastic yoghurt cup
- Disposable cutlery
- Plastic bags
- Paper bags
- Paper cup
- Straw
- Plastic bottle
- Dental floss stick
Can you see the amount of waste 1 person can generate simply from staying at home! Imagine if we extrapolate this into the population of Singapore, look at the scale that we’re generating rubbish.
We’re not trying to guilt trip you into not producing any waste from disposables at all, but rather raise awareness on the availability and rampant use of disposables in our daily lives. Disposables are undoubtedly everywhere nowadays, and it would be impossible not to use them entirely. But if we were to have all our daily disposables heaped in a pile in front of us, it can give us a better understanding of the severity of the issue.
Take a look at the list you’ve made and consider which of the items could have been avoided or removed?
For me, instead of eating individually wrapped cheese, I could have bought one that comes in a chunk, that saves on the amount of plastic used. Instead of using dental floss sticks (with all that unnecessary plastic), why not opt for dental floss strings?
We really hope that you’ll take some time to do this challenge and make some changes in your daily lives. Every small step goes a long way if we want to win this war against disposables!
