I tried to go plastic-free for 3 days - is it even possible to do it in Singapore?

How much plastic waste do you generate in a day? 

It's a question that has never crossed my mind until I watched a documentary about the detrimental effect plastic has on marine life.  

With so many green initiatives going on these days, we were curious to find out the amount of plastic used in the office and went around collecting a day's worth of plastic waste.

Needless to say, it stretched across the surface of a table and looking at it made my stomach turn.

THREE-DAY PLASTIC-FREE CHALLENGE

I decided to go on a plastic-free challenge for three days just to find out how easy (or difficult) it is to remove plastic from my life.

However, I broke the challenge on the very first day by absent-mindedly dabao-ing fruit juice in the morning and made a mental note to bring along a water bottle to lunch to store my teh-o peng.

For the next two days, no matter how hard I tried to avoid using plastic, it inevitably made its presence known. Or perhaps I was simply more conscious of the many things in our daily lives that are made of plastic — tissue packets, plastic bottles used to store soap, and wooden chopsticks wrapped in plastic are just some examples.   

But, a little change goes a long way, so I decided to find alternatives for single-use plastic.

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BRING REUSABLE BAGS

Start your eco-friendly journey by bringing your own reusable bags to supermarkets, and avoid buying items stored in plastic wrappers.

From Sept 16, NTUC FairPrice will be the first supermarket in Singapore to launch a 'No Plastic Bag' trial month at seven FairPrice, Cheers and FairPrice Xpress outlets.

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The participating outlets are FairPrice Xtra at Hougang One mall, FairPrice Finest at Zhongshan Park mall, FairPrice at 18 Tai Seng mall, FairPrice Xpress in Lorong Chuan, and Cheers outlets at Sengkang Community Hospital and in Create Way and Aljunied Road.

Customers who require plastic bags will be charged 20 cents per transaction at selected FairPrice, FairPrice Finest, FairPrice Xtra stores, or 10 cents at selected Cheers, FairPrice Xpress stores.

The proceeds from the sale of plastic bags will go to the Singapore Children’s Society and The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.

USE BEESWAX CLOTH INSTEAD OF CLINGWRAP

Instead of using cling wrap, go back to the medieval method of sealing your food with beeswax cloth.

The beeswax cloth is made from covering a piece of cloth in beeswax. It's reusable and can be cleaned with soap and water. To refresh it or keep it from looking crinkled, simply reheat the cloth in the microwave or over a small fire to smoothen out the beeswax coating.

Though it doesn't seal it completely or securely as a clingwrap would, the beeswax cloth covers the bowl adequately to prevent moisture from evaporating or the food from attracting flies.  

ALTERNATIVE STRAWS

I too, hopped on the bandwagon of using metal straws a year ago when it became a fad. But I'm guilty of not using it as often as I found it to be a little unhygienic, especially when there isn't a sink nearby to wash it after using.  

More recently, pasta or rice straws have been used as alternatives too. They are a little more durable than paper straws and won't get soggy for at least an hour.   

I cannot be any happier when I see restaurants and cafes offering these straw alternatives instead of plastic ones and am even tempted to purchase them for myself.

I know you're thinking that it's a waste of food, but at least these straws are a hundred per cent biodegradable.

BRING YOUR OWN WATER BOTTLE & SAVE MONEY

Cultivate the habit of bringing a water bottle out wherever you go — you'll not only save the environment but also save money from paying for the plastic or styrofoam cup. 

I usually have to pay $1.20 for my takeaway teh-o peng, but only had to pay $1 when I used my own water bottle. Though, you'll need a bottle opening large enough for ice if you order cold drinks.

This saves me 20 cents a day, which adds up to one cup of teh-o peng if I continue doing it for five days.

USE GLASS CONTAINERS

Non-disposable plastic containers may leach harmful chemicals when you heat food in them, which isn't healthy in the long run.

One way to cut down on the use of plastic entirely is by reusing glass jars and containers, which are great for packing salad and gravy dishes to work.

USE A PORTABLE CUTLERY SET 

I always keep a set of wooden cutlery in the office, so I don't have to use plastic utensils when I dabao food.

It doesn't take up much space in the drawer and if you buy a set that comes in a case, it can be used on the go. 

IDEAS TO REDUCE WASTE

Plastic has become such a big part of our daily lives that we don't even notice when we use it or toss it out. Going through this challenge made me realised it really requires a purposeful effort to avoid using plastic.

But even with how conscious I am about not using plastic, I've realised it may be an effort in futility unless more companies do their part to reduce single-use plastic products. Hopefully, we'll be able to move towards a life without reliance on plastic soon.

NTUC FairPrice has also recently announced the $1 million ‘FairPrice Sustainability Fund’ too. It will be used to fund innovative ideas and initiatives that address sustainability and environmental issues.

If you have any creative ideas about how to combat plastic and food waste in Singapore, FairPrice is calling on all civil societies, tertiary institutions, research institutions, charities and start-ups to submit their proposals to csr@fairprice.com.sg

This post is brought to you in partnership with NTUC FairPrice.

melissagoh@asiaone.com