Green groups see red over NEA anti-waste social experiment which generated more waste

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SINGAPORE — Environmentalists and green groups are perplexed by a recent social experiment by the National Environment Agency (NEA) which seemed to generate more waste while raising awareness about the impact of disposable ware on the environment.

Last Saturday (Jan 28), a coffee booth doubling as a giant installation was set up at Paya Lebar Quarter, where visitors received a free coffee drink in disposable paper and plastic cups.

Once they finished their drinks, visitors had to drop the used cups into the large transparent installation.

Within a few hours on Saturday afternoon, the installation — called The Waste Cafe — had filled up with about 2,000 disposable cups.

This was intentional, an eye-catching illustration of the amount of waste that can be generated in a short period of time when disposables are used, said the NEA in response to queries.

This public outreach was part of the agency's annual Say Yes to Waste Less campaign, which encourages the public to reduce food waste and the excessive use of disposables — key waste streams that the nation has been working to address.

In 2020, about 200,000 tonnes of domestic waste generated in Singapore were disposables, and would have filled about 400 Olympic-size swimming pools.

The one-day social experiment was done in collaboration with Paya Lebar Quarter and Starbucks Singapore.

The creative conceptualisation was led by integrated creative agency DSTNCT.

Green groups and climate activists, however, were alarmed that a campaign which aimed to reduce disposables was generating more waste.

Ms Melissa Low, a research fellow at the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions, said: "I was troubled by the concept of offering free coffee in disposable cups in order to generate waste to display... They could've started immediately with reusables and not disposable cups, using digital displays to illustrate excessive consumption.

"There was absolutely no need to generate unnecessary disposable waste."

She added: "The organisers could have consulted with green groups to understand the risks of such a campaign."

Ms Woo Qiyun, an environmental advocate behind Instagram page @theweirdandwild, pointed to past waste-related campaigns that used existing waste and were able to fulfil their intended purpose.

One of them was a 2019 art installation that was assembled with 18,000 disposable plastic cups collected from 26 hawker centres.

The installation was displayed at the Sustainable Singapore Gallery at Marina Barrage as part of an exhibition highlighting plastic waste.

A representative from community organisation Singapore Youth for Climate Action (SYCA) said that the installation could have used existing waste instead of generating fresh waste.

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SYCA and other individuals were concerned enough to contact NEA after they were alerted to the installation, highlighted in NEA's Clean and Green Singapore Instagram stories earlier this week.

But NEA said its installation had succeeded in its aim.

It added: "Most feedback on the social experiment was positive, with many sharing that it was eye-opening to be confronted with the reality of our daily lifestyle habits, and that it has prompted them to be more conscious about reducing their use of disposables."

The next phase of the campaign will see The Waste Cafe turned into a roving exhibit, beginning on Feb 24, which will display the used disposable cups alongside educational panels on Singapore's waste statistics and tips on reducing waste.

When visitors attend the exhibit, they will have to use their own reusable cups to redeem their coffee.

DSTNCT account director Chloe Lim said: "When working with NEA to fine-tune the concept, we were mindful of the campaign's objective and sought furthermore to repurpose the cups used.

"This not only creates an impactful visual installation, but also upcycles the disposable cups for an extended use as educational exhibition panels. This is more meaningful than creating an exhibition out of wood or other fresh materials."

Ms Woo said: "I understand the need for a 'shock factor' (in a campaign) where you get people to generate waste to show them the waste generated. But I believe that sustainability campaigns, where possible, should also embody the principle of 'do less harm'."

The representative from SYCA said that the distribution of free merchandise in other campaigns, and the production process for advertisements by banks and companies to promote their environmental, social and governance efforts ironically leads to unnecessary waste as well.

Commenting on the campaign, Professor Lawrence Loh, director of the Centre for Governance and Sustainability at NUS Business School, said the intention of the NEA campaign is positive, although the publicity methods may invite critics.

But that may not be a bad thing, he noted.

He said: "Interestingly, sometimes shock therapies actually induce the intended result more effectively, particularly over a longer time. The campaign seems to be like a shock to change consumer behaviour more rapidly and perhaps permanently."

He added: "In the campaign here, the starting point may be controversial. But we have to determine the net effect of the change in waste generation over lifetimes."

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.

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