How Turning Trash to Treasure Reduces Waste
The 3Rs — Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle — should be familiar mantras by now. On top of that, there’s also the 4th R — Repair — so instead of throwing old and spoilt things away, we can give it a new lease of life so it continues to serve a purpose.
Our National Waste Target
Nationally, we have been working on closing the waste loop by adopting circular economy approaches. NEA’s S$45 million ‘Closing the Waste Loop’ R&D Initiative aims to fund promising projects that enable us to extend the lifespan of our only landfill on Semakau. These projects vary from recovering as many materials from trash as possible to converting waste into useful products.
All this is part of our Singapore Green Plan 2030, which sets out an ambitious target to reduce waste sent to Semakau per capita per day by 20% by 2026, with the goal of reaching 30% by 2030.
#TrashtoTreasure — an MSE x Carousell series
We can certainly play our part as individuals too. This year, the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources collaborated with Carousell on the #TrashtoTreasure series, featuring five Carousell users who have been upcycling, repairing, and making secondhand their first choice.
So, beyond the simple actions we know all too well and with Christmas and the New Year around the corner — meaning shopping, last-minute shopping, and spring cleaning — here’s an alternative approach to the take-make-use-throw linear economy model. Learn from the experiences of our #TrashtoTreasure quintet and you might just find the inspiration you need to turn trash to treasure too!
Music and Reducing Waste through Refurbishing
It has been 5 to 6 years since Joseph Lee has bought and refurbished over 130 secondhand guitars through Carousell. Even better, he has given away 60 of them to charities and people in need. That sounds like music to our ears!
Reviving a spoilt Xbox with just $1
Big hearted Hian Leng revived a spoilt Xbox by repairing it. And what did it cost? Just $1 for a capacitor! Well aware of the amount of electronic waste that goes to our landfill, Hian Leng has also been in contact with charities and children’s homes to help more people in Singapore gain access to technology.
Buying Secondhand and Leading from the Ground-up
Not only does Ophelia grow her own food and create food compost using her family’s leftovers, she chooses secondhand over new and fast fashion. This passionate Gen Z hopes that experiencing nature will naturally endear good sustainable habits to anyone.
Upcycling Unwanted Furniture and Donating Toys
Insiyah gives old furniture a new lease of life by unleashing her artist talent through paint. What she did not expect was that her 3-year-old daughter would want to be involved as well. Now, the dynamic duo treasure secondhand and actively donate toys to others.
Vintage is Gold and Reduces Your Carbon Footprint
New homeowners Nadiah and Ridzwan love the old-world charm and stories of vintage secondhand furniture and décor. They managed to achieve a chic aesthetic for their home while saving money and reducing their carbon footprint by not depending on the convenience of new.
What’s Your #TrashtoTreasure Story?
By choosing secondhand over new, refurbishing, repairing, and upcycling, these Carousell users have reduced their individual contribution to Semakau Landfill. Collectively, that is quite a lot of #TrashtoTreasure!
We hope that their humble examples can encourage you to start on or continue your waste reduction efforts. Of course, simple actions like refusing a plastic straw or a plastic container are contributions that will count too. The most important step is to simply try! Happy Holidays!
