Green light: Plastic-Lite

This Plastic-Free July we wanted to hear from other organisations that are helping communities to reduce their reliance on plastic. Plastic-Lite Singapore is focused on educating and inspiring communities to make a change. Such an inspiring vision! We spoke to them to find out more.

Hi Plastic-Lite Singapore. Thanks for agreeing to talk to us about your organisation. This month for Plastic-Free July, we are keen to share with our readers the great work you are doing in the community.

Tell us a bit about Plastic-Lite.

We are a community-based platform that aims to inspire and encourage Singapore’s population to reduce the use of plastic.  Our "use-and-throw" culture of these plastics has hugely accelerated the rate of plastic pollution that we currently face. Our Founder, Aarti Giri, strongly believes that raising awareness paves the way for our community to understand the magnitude of this issue and what we can do to reduce our impact.

I came to know about you guys during a corporate beach clean-up project. How else do you work with corporates?

That’s great. We also conduct educational talks, roadshows and sharing sessions for corporates. We are also looking to conduct eco enzymes and composting workshops, which could be a fun way to motivate people to reduce food waste at home. We also partner eateries and cafes on reducing plastic usage such as straws and disposable plastics.

Why do you think it’s important for us to reduce plastic usage? 

The lifecycle of plastic is damaging to the environment at every stage (from production, distribution, to usage and disposal). 8% of global oil production is used for plastic production. These processes produce massive amounts of carbon dioxide that cause global warming. Half of plastics produced are only used once as well. It’s such a waste of resources.

However, the good news is that with incremental steps that we take to battle plastic waste, we help to motivate individuals to lead a more conscious lifestyle. Collectively, we can significantly reduce plastic usage and create a better environment for us to live in.

How do you encourage individuals and families to reduce their plastic usage? 

We encourage individuals and families through our campaigns and initiatives. Recently we launched our BYO campaign, which was aimed at helping individuals find meaning in their BYO journey. We focused on subjects like the history of pre-plastic Singapore, empathising with the critics of BYO and the psychological impacts of BYO. These subjects are not commonly discussed among environmentalists, as the mainstream coverage tends to be only on the environmental perspectives. However, a multi-dimensional perspective is important because issues don’t exist in isolation in our society. By the end of the BYO journey, we hope to empower individuals: to recognise why the BYO journey still matters.

We also have initiatives like Bounce Bags, which is a bag-sharing platform for the community to share reusable bags.

What are some of the risks if we don’t reduce our plastic usage and continue with the status quo?

The greatest risk is arguably not to our landfill, but to our minds.  On an individual level, we stop thinking about the impacts of our actions. This estranges us from thinking about the environment even further, an entity that can already be difficult to take interest in preserving, given our modern society’s general perception of the environment as something for exploitation.

A general acceptance of excessive plastic usage as part of modern living eventually breeds the mindset that change is not necessary. This mindset justifies short-term benefits over long-term harms, and this will eventually lead to a society embracing the wrong priorities, cultivating leaders that accept an extractive, linear economy.

 What is your best advice on how to reduce plastic usage in our daily lives?

The key is to educate yourself: not only on plastic pollution, but also on other topics affecting climate change like consumerism and meat production. 

As one starts to grow more aware of the challenges our society is facing, one also begins to be conscious of the impact of one’s lifestyle, which leads to a strong desire and commitment for new plastic-free habits.

The urgency of taking action and changing mindsets is something we cannot overemphasise, for unsustainable practices are still rampant today. Never stop learning about the truth and searching for a better environment; a better future.

Thanks so much for your time!

Find out more about Plastic-Lite Singapore and their mission on Instagram or check out their website!