We are reducing waste through upstream sustainable procurement and closing waste loops downstream and using infrastructure to shape positive norms of waste sorting and reuse in Zero Waste precincts.
Establish Zero Waste precincts to drive whole of university behaviour change
Implementing Zero Waste hierarchy
To minimise waste sent for incineration and disposal
Reduce
Unnecessary consumption
We are committed to reduce material wastage and unnecessary consumption. As a small step, we have phased out the use of packaged water in meetings and events on campus since October 2023.
Central Procurement Office (CPO) and University Campus Infrastructure (UCI) are working together to tackle procurement hotspots such as laboratory consumables and over-ordering in food catering.
Takeaway disposables contribute
to our growing campus waste
problem and appear wasteful due
to its single-use nature.
We are encouraging our community to choose ‘BYO’ bring your own bottles and containers instead, and piloting reuse systems in canteens as alternatives to takeaway disposables.
For responsible end-of-life management of our recyclables, we are sending our PET♳ plastic bottles to an established processing facility to be turned into food grade rPET ♳ resins, closing the plastic waste loop.
In Singapore, general waste is incinerated before being sent to Semakau Landfill for disposal.
To extend the lifespan of Singapore’s only landfill, we need to cut our demand on materials and actively divert waste sent for incineration and disposal, by reducing, reusing, repurposing or recycling.
Activating touch points in UTown to shape a culture of resource consciousness
Coordinating with dining hall operations and food court stalls to encourage staff and students to bring reusables and to phase out disposables
Collecting hard-to-recycle plastics to trial potential as new material for road paving; Processing food waste to compost or aquaculture feed testing towards closing the waste loop
Recycling collection points for staff and students to sort materials in clean and homogeneous streams, minimising risk of contamination
Checkout Collection Drive at the hostels to encourage ground-level sorting of unwanted items and prevent mindless dumping at hostel move-out
Staff and students driving change through NUS Zero Waste Taskforce
Campus Infrastructure staff design and build infrastructure and touch points to operationalise Zero Waste precincts
Campus Administration staff drive procurement processes to shape a culture of reducing material wastage
NUS Zero Waste Taskforce leads the implementation of the NUS Zero Waste Action Plan 2030
Faculty staff lead immersive sustainability education to nurture next generation of student advocates
Student advocates & environmental groups role model, network and lead sustainability issues amongst peers
NUS Zero Waste Taskforce leads the implementation of the NUS Zero Waste Action Plan 2030
Campus Infrastructure staff design and build infrastructure and touch points to operationalise Zero Waste precincts
Campus Administration staff drive procurement processes to shape a culture of reducing material wastage
Faculty staff lead immersive sustainability education to nurture next generation of student advocates
Student advocates & environmental groups role model, network and lead sustainability issues amongst peers
Staff and students from the Zero Waste Taskforce visited Hiroyuki Industries in Johor where PET ♳ bottles are recycled into food grade rPET ♳ resins (Aug 2024).
Launch of NUS Zero Waste Action Plan 2030 with Dr Amy Khor as the Guest of Honor (Sep 2020)
NUS Zero Waste Taskforce quarterly meeting (Jul 2023)
Sharing by Mr. Loo Deliang, chairman of Zero Waste Taskforce at quarterly meeting (Jul 2023)
‘Life of a PET Bottle’ panel discussion event organized by the Zero Waste Taskforce on ‘behind-the-scenes’ of plastic recycling (Sep 2023)
NUS Zero Waste Taskforce quarterly meeting (Mar 2024)
Faculty of Science students explaining how optical character recognition technology can help improve accuracy in waste weight data collection at quarterly Taskforce meeting (Mar 2024)
Guest sharing by Mr. Edward Chia, Managing Director of Life Lab Resources Pte Ltd at quarterly Taskforce meeting (Mar 2024)
Staff and students from the Zero Waste Taskforce visited Hiroyuki Industries in Johor where PET ♳ bottles are recycled into food grade rPET ♳ resins (Aug 2024).
Launch of NUS Zero Waste Action Plan 2030 with Dr Amy Khor as the Guest of Honor (Sep 2020)
