Zero Waste Testbed Initiative @ South West

Zero Waste Testbed Initiative @ South West

The Zero Waste Testbed Initiative is organised by NUS and South West Community Development Council to empower and support youths in the co-creation of innovative solutions towards zero waste and circular economy through test-bedding of proof-of-concepts within the NUS campus.

This is an opportunity for teams to obtain up to $10,000 in project funding and mentorship by industry and government practitioners in the implementation of their ideas.

Can I apply?

Applicants are to fulfil the below criteria:

Open to individuals or groups
All group members must be 17 – 35 years old
At least one of the group members must be a Singaporean or Permanent Resident
At least one of the group members must be a prospective student, full-time student or alumni of NUS (eligible upon receipt of offer of admission for prospective NUS students)
Applicants may engage on their own or seek support from NUS and South West CDC on the primary school to carry out the pilot implementation, of which must be in the South West District (to check if the location falls within the South West District, visit www.pa.gov.sg and insert the postal code under ‘District Information’ at the bottom of the webpage)

How do I apply?

Interested applicants may email to southwest_cdc@pa.gov.sg.

Awarded Projects

First Edition

Recycling Right: Publicity to Reduce Recycling Contamination Rate [completed] RecyClean team members: (from left to right) Colin Chan Wei Hua (Business and Information Systems), Gillian Yeong (Linguistics and Sociology), Yak Jun Yan James (Business and Information Systems), Cindy Evangeline (Industrial Design), and Ho Yi Jing (Industrial Design).

The team, RecyCLEAN, aimed to reduce recycling contamination rate through an evidence-based publicity campaign, comprising large wall publicity decals and Instagram educational campaign. This was implemented in UTown in September 2021 and resulted in an overall 10% decrease in recycling contamination rate. Read more about the project here.

Promoting Reuse: Reusable Rental System [completed] UGo UGo team members: (from left to right) Daniel Foong (Engineering), Lim An Qi (Engineering), Liaw Ann Shin (Environmental Studies), Toh Sihui (Computing) and Celeste Ong (Marketing).

The team, UGo, aimed to get the community to reduce disposable usage by introducing a reusable rental system that was convenient for users and has a tracking system to minimise the loss of reusables. Piloted in Techno Edge Canteen from January to May 2022, the team had leveraged their various skill sets and developed a system that comprised an app to track the borrowing and returning of reusables, return bins that were conveniently placed in faculties near Techno Edge canteen and a marketing campaign to create a positive experience of the initiative. At the end of the pilot, over 800 reusables were used, with a high return rate of over 95%.

Converting Waste to Resource: Upcycling Fruit Peel Waste to EcoEnzyme Detergent [in progress] ECo EcoEnzyme lead: Ana Zeng (Industrial Design)

The EcoEnzyme project aims to pilot the upcycling of fruit peel waste into a detergent that can be used as a cleaning agent in F&B premises. Piloted in Techno Edge canteen, the project trialled a step-by-step process to guide the fruit juice stallholder and cleaners in fermenting the fruit peels and turning it into detergent. The detergent is also undergoing numerous tests (e.g. microbial) on the level of efficacy as a cleaning agent. In addition, the project had engaged the community in creating their own upcycled detergent at home.

Converting Waste to Resource: Upcycling Plastic Wastes to Street Furniture [in progress] Brambe Brambe team members: Bernie Ang (Architecture) [first from left] and Amanda Tay (Architecture) [first from right], with Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment

The team, Brambe, aims to design and produce street furniture by integrating upcycled plastic wastes and Jesmonite. Specifically, the team has designed a modular study table that allows reconfiguration for both individual use and group discussions, while considering the amount of material use and overall user experience. The team is in the midst of producing the tables and plans to trial them in an open study area in NUS.

Upcycling Edition

Upcycling Plastic & Glass Waste to Floating Eco-Gardens [in progress] Ariel Project Ariel Team Member, Ibnur Rashad (Engineering Science Alumnus) [left], had received Gold Award at Taiwan International Invention Show & Technomart. Other team members include Ong Kok Chung (Environmental Engineering), Tan Yi Han (Engineering Science Alumnus), Sullivan Wang and Ashton Law.

The team, Project Ariel, aims to create floating eco-garden modules by upcycling plastic and glass waste. The plastic waste provides buoyancy to the modules, while glass waste is shredded to form the substrate for the garden. The team is also engaging the community to learn about the upcycling process and build their own floating eco-garden modules. Read more about the project here.