USERS’ PERSPECTIVE OF HAWKER CENTRES WITH FOOD WASTE RECYCLING

Abstract

Food waste is a global problem, prominently in Asia. The global problem is developing simultaneously with the growing population, bringing in health hazards, scarcity of dumping land and negative environmental impacts. Traditional methods of eliminating food waste contributes alarming large amount of GHG emissions, showing an urgency for a more environmentally friendly way of eliminating food waste. Singapore has stepped in to close the loop of food waste management with the guidance of Food Waste Management Hierarchy and Zero Waste Master Plan. To achieve the national target of total recycling rate of 70 percent by 2030, NEA has piloted projects at several hawker centres to segregate food waste by implementing on-site food waste treatment systems. This initiative is capable of converting food waste to water for non-potable use, compost for landscaping purpose and biogas for electricity generation and reducing daily food waste amount by 90 per cent, as well as GHG emissions. Despite the positive environmental impacts, it comes with the trouble of segregating food waste and other concerns, which reduces the willingness of users’ participation in recycling. This paper seeks to find out the users’ perspectives of hawker centres with food waste recycling initiative. This is to understand the users’ behaviours and thoughts towards recycling programmes and the issues relating to their willingness to adopt new policies. It helps to tune the program to be better for higher efficiency, which in turn encourages participation in recycling. Physical interview is done with the consumers, stallholders and cleaners at two hawker centres to gather data. Results are analysed and evaluated with pie charts and bar graphs to determine their level of awareness, their attitude and their supportiveness of the recycling initiative in hawker centres. The research paper has concluded that the general public thinks positively that this initiative will contribute to saving the environment but there is a minority group of people who think negatively of this because they are uninterested and indifferent towards food waste management.