AJYELN Singapore Fellows Held a Tote Bag Collection from 1 October to 10 November at Hwa Chong Institution (College) and Yishun Innova Junior College

Reported by Radiance Tan, Teo Yi Ting Joy 

Key takeaways

Students have an opportunity to play their part in reducing marine plastic waste by reducing the use of plastic bags within the community. Through a donation drive of tote bags, students and staff were encouraged to donate unused tote bags to Project Visualised. These bags were then passed on to NTUC Bag Racks for community use. This collective effort increased the number of reusable bags available in NTUC’s bag-sharing racks, allowing shoppers to use these bags for free instead of paying for plastic bags when shopping for groceries. 

Promoting a lifestyle of lower plastic usage: NTUC Fairprice, with over 370 outlets serving more than half a million people daily, is a common shopping destination in Singapore. By increasing the number of reusable bags in the Bag Sharing racks at many of its outlets, the event encouraged shoppers who forgot their reusable bags to use these instead of purchasing disposable plastic bags. This initiative led to a community-wide decrease in plastic usage. Excess tote bags were also donated to the National Library Board (NLB) bag-sharing space. 

Empowering the community to reduce plastic usage: Plastic bags make up 14.1% of identifiable plastic items in the ocean. By encouraging students to donate unused tote bags, the event reminded the community, as well as students and their families, of the importance of these often-overlooked items in combating marine plastic pollution.

Main highlights

1. Date: 1 October 2024 -10 November 2024 
2. Venue or location: Hwa Chong Institution (College) and Yishun Innova Junior College, 3000 
3. Organizer and co-organizers: AJYELN Team, Hwa Chong Institution (College) – Green Council, Yishun Innova Junior College – Student Council 
4. Participants: Year 1 and 2 Students, and Staff from Hwa Chong Institution, Year 1 and 2 Students, ad Staff from Yishun Innova Junior College 
5. No. of participants: 3000

Activities Implemented

Boxes were placed near the exit of Hwa Chong Institution (College) and distributed to Student Council Members of Yishun Innova Junior College for tote bag collection. These bags were then redistributed and donated to public areas such as libraries (National Library Board NLB) and supermarkets.

Evaluation

We collected over 15.7 kg of tote bags, totaling around 220 bags, during the event. Despite the lack of feedback forms or formal introduction, the donation drive was largely successful, with active participation from students and staff from both schools. For future iterations, further build-up and support could enhance the event’s impact.