Every year, Singapore has to contend with several thousand tonnes of plastic waste washed up on its beaches – an endless parade of discarded bottles, bags, food packets, rope and sachets. This is just part of a bigger planetary crisis, a growing tide of plastic waste driven by ever-increasing production and consumption that is overwhelming waste management systems. 

Recycling has long been the mantra for tackling plastic waste. But in reality, only a fraction of all plastics is recycled because many are composed of different types of plastic. In fact, many products are simply not designed with recycling and reuse in mind.