#SAVESEMAKAU
Who's Semakau?​
For those who know, bear with us. For those who don't, we're glad we reached you.
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Well, not quite who, but what?
Pulau Semakau is an island to the South of Singapore,
and it houses Singapore's one and only landfill.
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Semakau landfill covers an area of 350 hectares and receives >2,000 tonnes of Waste-to-Energy Plant ash and non-incinerable waste daily, according to MSE website.
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Why save Semakau?
Cos it's expected to be full by 2035 (the next Rabbit year on the Chinese Zodiac),
less than 12 years from now! *horrors*
Where's our daily trash going to go when that happens?
SAY NO TO SINGLE USE
You may ask. "What can I do as an individual?"
It may not seem our lone efforts make much of a difference.​
But what if more join in?
At @mynakedbar, we believe that
THERE IS NO ACTION TOO SMALL
I named my soaps @mynakedbar to stay true to why I'm starting this in the first place.
I wanted my soaps to not just be bare of synthetic ingredients, but "naked" with no unnecessary packaging.
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My hope is to send a sustainable message with every bar of soap that goes out,
and hopefully welcome more friends onto the sustainable journey.
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Besides opening up more people to a good bar of soap that practically reduces to nothing after use
(read no single use plastic bottles to reuse, recycle or trash),
we seek to to reuse and refuse wherever we can.
Reuse milk/juice cartons & packaging materials contributed by @package.pals and the community
and refuse pre-packaged ingredients where possible.
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Will this save Semakau?
Well, not really.
Cos the truth is plastic is turned into hydrocarbon
in the incineration process and is a small contributor in the landfill in the grand scale of things.
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Then why bother?
While our individual actions, simply avoiding single use plastic,
or delaying empty milk cartons to the landfill will not save Semakau,
it is the strength of the masses having the right #lesswaste mindset that can make a difference.
And with a topic closer to the hearts of most (#rubbishnowheretogo*horrors*),
we hope to get more people to take the first step (if they haven't already) or do a little more.
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What if I just don't take to bar soaps?
That's alright!
Waste management is just one facet of the global #climateemergency the world is facing.
There's lots of other ways you can start too!
BYO containers for dabao,
use less water during showers,
switch off electrical appliance (at socket too) when not in use,
take more public transport vs. drive,
eat one (more) plant-based meal a week.
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How do I start?
We all have our own lifestyle, constraints, stakeholders to balance,
so choose what is doable and meaningful to you.
One step at a time, even small.
When unsure of the right way to go, just "don't waste".
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I don't have big solutions, but I have a pair of hands and a voice.
If you can identify, join in in whatever capacity you can manage.
ONE LESS BOTTLE
With every bar of soap bought or gifted, one single use shower gel bottle is potentially avoided.
ALMOST PACKAGE FREE
Every of our bars comes bare in their packaging. Our accessories come unpackaged too.
GIVE SECOND LIFE
We upcycle milk and juice cartons contributed by the community to pack our soaps for delivery. They double up as gift boxes too!
Even though the number of shower gel bottles we divert or the milk cartons we give a second life to cannot stop Semakau from filling up, we believe it's the message that ripples out that is more important.