2. Proposed
solutions
The team researched
the current happenings in other countries and found that some of the solutions
can also be applied in the context of Singapore to encourage the reduced use of
plastic as a material for beverages.
2.1 Dispenser-Type Beverages
2.1.1 Dispenser for packaged drinks
Evian (2019) has officially revealed
their new product called “Evian (re)new”. This new product is a
dispenser-styled “water appliance” that dispense water designed for home use.
It contains a 5-litre water container that will sag after water is
dispensed. This new design is notable as the water container is made with
“100% recycled plastic” and can be totally recycled. When compared to the
traditional 1.5-litre water bottle also made by Evian, it uses two-thirds
lesser plastic to produce.
PepsiCo (2019) has launched a new
“hydration platform” in the form of a smart dispenser. The consumer will bring
their own bottle/container to the smart dispenser, then the dispenser will scan
the consumer’s unique QR code and dispense according to the consumer’s choice.
As the smart dispenser system uses QR code, it will remember the consumer’s
preferences. It will also automatically track the daily consumption of fluids
by the number of refills and the reduced “environmental impacts” by using the
system.
In Singapore, there is no such
initiative currently. As such, the team recommends Singapore to adopt this for
research of feasibility.
2.1.2 Dispenser for Hawker
Centre-styled setting
In some of Singapore’s hawker centre,
there exist dispensers for common drinks like hot coffee and tea. The drinks
operator will make the drink in bulk, then they will put it in the dispenser
and consumers fill their own cup whenever they want to. The use of such
dispensers for beverages in stores can help to reduce stress on Singapore’s
plastic problem by encouraging consumers to use their own containers and reduce
the need for unnecessary packaging.
2.2 Rental cups
The current beverage stalls normally
provide a plastic cup when a consumer makes a purchase. Mahmud (2019) stated
that “A new service recently launched in Singapore wants to replace single-use
plastic in takeaways with reusable cups and containers that customers can rent
technically for free.” With such service availability, consumers do not need to
bring their own cup and are still reducing the use of plastic.
2.3 Using sustainable material as
alternative
2.3.1 Glass (for bottles)
Glass bottles could be an alternative
material for bottled drinks. Opting for glass as a replacement would be
feasible as there are many benefits it brings. Firstly, glass is fully
recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without degrading its value. Next, a
massive amount of natural resources are saved for every ton of glass that is
recycled. Lastly, recycled glass is substituted for up to 95% of raw
materials.
According to one of our group mate’s
experience, the restaurant she worked at previously reused all the chilli
bottles instead of throwing them away and replacing them with new ones. Every
night, there will be a staff assigned to wash the chilli bottles that were
almost empty and would then refill with a new batch of chilli from the can.
2.3.2 Stainless steel (for straw)
Stainless steel is versatile yet one of
the most environmentally friendly materials. Stainless steel is
corrosion-resistant, durable, have high-recycled content and recapture rates,
provides long service life and reduces resource use. Even if stainless steels
are not recycled, they would not have any damaging effects on the soil or
groundwater of the landfill.
3. Benefits proposed
solutions
3.1 Dispenser-Type Beverages
The use of dispensers encourages people
to store their favourite beverage in their own bottles. It reduces the need for
plastic bottles to be manufactured for the beverages. Also, plastic bottles and
cups’ usage will decrease, hence providing savings for businesses.
Beverages that normally comes in bottle
form can now switch to syrup form and install in the dispenser. This will not
only cut down the plastic bottle usage and also help the consumer to have a
good habit of bringing their own cup all the time. Such dispensers allow better
efficiency because customers will no longer require another person to get the
drinks for them.
3.2 Rental Cups/containers
Rental cups/containers allow customers
to patronise stores that only provide disposables takeaway without producing
packaging wastage. This is good as the savings on the packaging can be utilized
elsewhere. Also, reduce the hassle for consumers to bring their own
cups/containers which encourages the consumers’ participation.
3.3 Using sustainable material
Glass bottles can be reused and
recycled, this creates an ecosystem where glass can be used multiple times and
provide convenience to users at the same time. The amount of energy used by
reusing a glass bottle is lesser than recycling plastic waste, which makes it
more environmentally friendly.
Aluminium and steel are metals that can
be used to make cups and straws respectively. Metals are known to be durable
and can last a long time in terms of wear and tear. Thus, the use of aluminium
cans and steel straws can reduce the need for manufacturing plastic for
beverages in the long term.
4. Limitations of
proposed solutions
4.1 Dispenser-Type Beverages
In today’s throw-away culture, such
practice of utilizing our own bottles for beverages is uncommon. Thus it might
be a hassle for consumers to bring their own bottles if they do not have the
habit of doing so. Evian Re(new) adopts the same way as to how a normal water
cooler dispenser works where the water is replaced per container. However, the
container is not easily purchasable, unlike the water cooler dispenser where
there are many different companies to purchase from.
It is only limited to homemade drinks
such as milo and coffee. This might also lead to uneven mixture over a period
of time and difficulties in maintaining the temperature. A consumer might abuse
the rule by taking more than what they paid for. The last challenge that will
be faced is the ability to tell whether it is empty.
As compared to noncarbonated drinks,
carbonated drinks require a carbon dioxide tank (CO2 tank) to produce the
carbonated effect. A CO2 tank that contains 31kg of carbon dioxide can last up
to 3 months depending on usage. This will also require additional manpower to
replace the CO2 tank.
4.2 Rental Cups
The system of having cups and
containers for rent requires huge logistic work. Furthermore, it relies heavily
on users to follow the practices. Customers might not be able to return the
item on time and in good condition. As this system is currently not implemented
widely, users might not be able to have access to the system. This makes it
inconvenient for visitors to make a trip to return the item.
Also, the system is prone to abuse,
people might not treat the items with care and will result in problems such as
the lack of proper sanitation which might cause other users to suffer from
food-related illness.
4.3 Sustainable material as an
alternative
Even though glass is superior in terms
of the amount of carbon footprint it leaves behind, there are some drawbacks
that make plastic more preferable as compared to glass. Some drawbacks are
weight and fragility. Glass generally weighs heavier than plastic which means
more trips are required when transporting packaged goods which would lead to
larger environmental impact. To add on, glass has the tendency of breaking
easily. This means if a glass bottle is knocked over, it would leave a mess
behind and it would be dangerous due to the small fragments.
Since stainless steel, it is a good
conductor to heat, the straws made from stainless steel cannot be used for hot
drinks. Also, stainless steel straws might pose a hygiene problem if it is not
cleaned properly. As straws are long in nature, it will be difficult to reach
the inner side of the middle section of straw when washing.
References:
Evian. (2019, April
15). Evian Launches Evian (Re)new – An In-Home Natural Mineral Water
Appliance Featuring “Breakthrough” Sustainable Design. [Press release]
Retrieved October 31,
2019, from
Mahmud, A.h. (2019,
January 23). New service aims to cut out single-use plastic from takeaways,
rent out containers for free. Channel News Asia.
Retrieved October 31,
2019, from
PepsiCo. (2019, April
24). PepsiCo Goes Beyond the Bottle with New, Mobile-Enabled Hydration
Platform.
Retrieved October 31,
2019, from
Yalcinkaya, G. (2019,
April 20). Evian to launch collapsible “bubble” to combat plastic waste. Dezeen.
Retrieved October 31,
2019, from
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