Nearing the end of Term 3, the Canteen Committee announced the gradual phasing out of the use of disposable containers and cutlery, as well as the rather “authoritarian” measure of completely stopping the provision of disposables altogether in Term 4. However, this was ultimately not put into effect, as we still see students using disposable containers and utensils when packing their food. I believe that there are simply too many aspects the school management needs to consider before it is possible to completely eradicate the use of disposables.
In the most recent C1 Principals Dialogue, many students voiced their concerns about bringing their own container to pack their food, even though it is undoubtedly the more environmentally friendly option. The most common concern cited would be the trouble of washing used utensils. Since the washing of used utensils is not allowed in school sinks due to the possibility of clogging up sinks, students have no choice but to bring their used oily containers home to wash. Imagine: the leftover sauce and food sediments being left to “marinate” in your reusable lunch box throughout the entire duration of school - definitely an imaginable and unpleasant sight and smell.
Moreover, bringing a container from home daily obviously takes up a significant amount of space in school bags, reinforcing how inconvenient and troublesome it is to bring your own container. Therefore, even if students are aware of the environmental repercussions, it is the convenience of using then throwing away single-use disposables after meals, without having to wash it or carry it to and from home, that greatly outweighs the desire to save Mother Earth.
Presently, disposables are not provided free-of-charge by canteen vendors, but are priced at 20¢ each to both discourage its use and compensate canteen vendors. Although this might seem like an insignificant sum to some, it is actually what drives the “stingy auntie” in me to bring my own container everyday. I reckon that if I spend 20¢ every day on disposables that I will only use once and discard, it snowballs to $1 every week and in a month, I am essentially throwing away one Chicken Rice and one Honey Lemon drink’s worth of money! Charging disposables is a measure that effectively encourages non-environmentalist, but money-conscious consumers, like myself, to go an extra mile and avoid the use of disposables. In spite of this, this is afterall a school environment, where meals must be kept affordable. This means that further raising the price to 50¢ or even $1 as a potential solution might make it too costly for some students, who forget to bring their containers, to have a proper meal if disposables are completely phased out.
The suggested solutions raised during the Principal Dialogue of installing sieves in existing sinks or setting up washing points could solve a part of the issue, but on top of SMM concerns, this does not tackle the root problem of students refusing to bring their own utensils due to its inconvenience. This denotes that providing less disposables will not spur more students on to reduce their consumption of disposables. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that only if the school management decides to completely stop providing disposables will students be faced with no choice but to bring their own utensils.
In my opinion, public education is hardly successful in fostering green practices among Singaporeans in general as self and convenience is at top priority. According to Zero Waste SG’s position paper on the reduction of single-use disposables in Singapore, there are currently no regulations restricting the use of plastic disposables. How about voluntary programmes? Well, Singapore Packaging Agreement and Bring Your Own Bag, have unfortunately not led to significant reductions in plastics waste. It seems that the government’s strategy to reduce single-use plastic disposables is based on “encouragement”, which does not constitute a tangible strategy, concrete policies or bold actions. Even in schools, green practices are mostly only being carried out when students are being monitored, with only a portion of students being truly passionate and deliberate about protecting the environment. Does this perhaps sadly reflect the deep-rooted culture of Singaporeans playing their part only when it is legislated and enforced on them?
All in all, I stand by my views that being environmentally conscious should be part of an overall school culture, habit, and lifestyle in order to integrate eco-friendly habits into our lives and protect Mother Earth in our own little ways. Let us be more conscious of the consequences of our actions, even if they do not create an immediate tangible impact on our current lives - start by bringing your own containers and cutlery and saying no to disposables tomorrow! Afterall, if not us, who? And if not now, when?
Written by: Caroline Ong (21A10)
Edited by: Tan Xuanmin (21S78)
Photo by: Lim Yu Shu (21S74)
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