I was happy to read TODAY’s Trash Talk features on how Singaporeans can do their part to reduce waste.

I have two ideas that I hope can bring Singapore closer to its zero-waste target.

Despite being a developed country, our environmental consciousness trails even some developing nations.

Recently, I took a six-month break. Through my travels, I saw how the effects of global warming and erratic climatic changes have caused glaciers to recede at an alarming rate, and places such as Alaska becoming much warmer than they should.

We need to step up our environmental consciousness to safeguard our planet for future generations.

During my travels, I encountered many excellent ideas of how we can help to reduce waste.

START A GROCERY OUTLET

In the United States, there is a successful supermarket chain called Grocery Outlet selling heavily discounted brand-name groceries and products that are either overstocked or close to their use-by date.

I patronised this supermarket often because its items were cheap and I was going to consume the produce pretty soon anyway.

It makes sense for one of the big supermarket chains here — or, better still, an alliance of them — to create such an outlet to reduce waste. It can also be a part of their corporate-social-responsibility efforts to bring affordable groceries to the masses.

DEPOSITS FOR BOTTLES AND CANS

In Europe and North America, it is common to see glass or plastic bottles and steel or aluminium cans being sold with a deposit. Consumers can get their money back when they return these to a machine that is usually at the entrance of supermarkets.

This scheme will boost recycling collection rates and attitudes towards recycling. 

Recent news that supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice is charging for plastic bags in a trial at selected stores is also a step in the right direction.

Singapore is already behind many countries in this area. Others, including many African states, have banned single-use plastic bags. A report from the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Resources Institute found that at least 127 out of 192 countries have adopted some form of legislation to regulate plastic bags as of July last year.

I sincerely urge Singaporeans to be more environmentally conscious because every little step matters. 

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