N*thing is Possible

Journey Towards Zero Waste

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National Design Center (SG) Research Collaborator

Year 4

Head of Research Team

May - July 2021

Dr Ho Puay Peng

The “N*thing is Possible” Exhibition was curated by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) for Potato Head. Potato Head is a company centered around building a more sustainable approach to the hospitality industry. The exhibition centered around showing their journey to zero waste. The research team that I led provided the research for the waste landscape of Singapore to compare against what Potato Head Bali has achieved at their resort.

The research required coordination with national agencies, waste companies and on the ground documentation. The collaboration went on for three months and was a engaging learning journey with OMA, EcoMantra and Potato Head Bali.

The eventual work was exhibited at the National Design Center Singapore. Website: https://www.link.potatohead.co/

^ Main Exhibition Area N*thing is Possible at the National Design Center Singapore

^ Research Exhibits Research conducted displayed parallel to statistics from Bali

Singapore: 6,944,000 tonnes of Waste in 1 Year *

Waste Facts

1,562,500 tonnes of Waste in 1 Year: Bali

Zero Waste Masterplan

NUS Are there plans beyond prolonging the “lifespan” of Semakau Landfill “beyond 2035”?

NEA The Resource Sustainability Act (RSA) was enacted in 2019 to impose upstream regulatory measures on the three priority waste streams, namely e-waste, food waste, and packaging waste.

One example is the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for e-waste, which was introduced in July 2021, where producers of regulated products are required to pay for the collection and recycling of their products at end-of-life. Such upstream regulations will send economic signals to producers to account for the cost of environmental externalities, and to redesign products to require less materials, last longer, and be more easily recycled.

To encourage more people to switch from disposables to reusables, the “Say YES to Waste Less” campaign by the NEA raises awareness of simple everyday actions that the public can adopt to reduce waste.

We have also conducted public consultations on a charging model for disposable carrier bags handed out at supermarkets. We are developing innovative ways to close our waste loop. For example. NEA is conducting trials to turn incineration bottom ash into NEWSand, which can be used as construction material, so as to divert waste away from Semakau Landfill.