BYO Bottle Singapore
Kate Yeo, founder of BYO Bottle Singapore
Today we're spotlighting Kate Yeo, the founder of BYO Bottle Singapore which is a ground-up initiative aiming to reduce the wastage of single-use plastics in Singapore.
With an estimated 467 million PET bottles used in Singapore per year not including bubble tea or coffee cups, Kate was troubled by the level of pollution created by plastic and the dangerously long lifespan of single-use plastic which is having a significant impact on the health of the planet. Passionate about this space, Kate started the BYO Bottle Singapore movement back in 2018 as a student by contacting hundreds of food and beverage (F&B) businesses to encourage BYO practices and manage the waste generated in Singapore more sustainably. Three years on and 250 drink stalls have joined the BYO Bottle Singapore movement and over 25 brands and organisations have also rolled out BYO practices thanks to Kate's determination.
Kate is also the co-founder of the youth-led NGO Re-Earth Initiative which aims to make the climate movement accessible to everyone. The organisation's latest campaign which took place on Earth Day, 22 April 2020, mobilised thousands of people to take part in global digital protests and encouraged each person involved to make two climate pledges, one individual and one systemic. The Re-Earth Initiative intends to use these pledges to drive change within the environmental space through campaign work and educational content.
We had the opportunity to speak to Kate about her work and activism within the environmental space, the inspiration behind BYO Bottle Singapore and the importance of changing hearts and minds when it comes to how we should manage plastic waste going forwards.
What inspired you to found BYO Bottle Singapore back in 2018?
Interestingly I never cared about the environment growing up and only started diving deep into environmental issues in 2018. Once I learnt about the scale of the environmental crisis, it was just impossible not to care anymore. I started making changes in my own lifestyle but it wasn’t enough because all around me I still saw people using plastic straws, cups, bottles, cutlery, bags... Within a few months, I decided to launch the Bring Your Own Bottle campaign to drive change on a larger scale too.
Tell us more about BYO Bottle Singapore’s mission and the organisation's key initiatives?
In short, we want to change the culture of disposables in Singapore. Right now our focus is on working with F&B businesses in Singapore to incentivise BYO, through providing discounts. We have about 250 stalls on-board. We also conduct workshops and sharings to educate the wider public on environmental issues and nudge them to take action.
What are the main social and environmental issues caused by plastic waste today?
It depends from context to context. In Singapore, our only landfill is running out of space so it’s important for us to reduce waste in general - not just plastic. There’s also increasing evidence of plastic pollution affecting human health through the food chain. Of course, I’m sure most of us will have read articles about the whales dying from consuming plastic, or the video of the plastic straw stuck in a turtle’s nose.
BYO Bottle Singapore has now collaborated with over 25 brands and organisations to roll out BYO practices. How did you persuade F&B businesses to ditch plastic for BYO practices?
It definitely took a lot of patience and hard work — when I first started asking businesses if I could paste our campaign stickers at their store, I would receive less than 3 ‘Yes’-es for every 100 emails sent. Over the years I’ve learnt more about how to deliver a pitch and negotiate more effectively. I’ve also learnt to just be genuine and let my passion do most of the talking :)
What are your ambitions for BYO Bottle Singapore in the future and how do we continue to change hearts and minds when it comes to plastic waste?
My hope is to one day see a disposables-free Singapore! Whether it’s through BYO Bottle SG or other forms of advocacy, I will continue striving towards that. Education is one way; but there are also other ways to incentivise behaviour change, like offering discounts, charging for disposables, or building reusable container lending systems.
You are also the co-founder of the youth-led NGO Re-Earth Initiative which aims to bring climate action to the masses. Can you tell us more about how the organisation is making the climate movement accessible to all?
We want to let people know that there are many ways to contribute to climate action. You don’t have to protest on the streets to be considered an “activist” (that’s not legally feasible in societies like Singapore, where I’m from). You could volunteer with a local NGO or start a small initiative in your own community, for instance. A large part of our work is also focused on improving diversity and representation within the movement — through spotlighting different grassroots organisations and activists, fundraising for them, and giving them space to speak.
One of your initial goals when joining the Re-Earth Initiative was to bring South East Asia’s perspectives into the conversation on the climate crisis. Can you talk about the biggest challenges South East Asia is currently facing as a result of the climate crisis?
SEA is one of the most vulnerable regions to the impacts of climate change. Floods, droughts, tropical hurricanes, rapidly rising temperatures… these are all impacts that we are already seeing across the region. For developing countries like Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam, it’s disproportionately more difficult to adapt (not to mention, cope with the pandemic at the same time). There’s also a high dependence on coal and deforestation which presents a lot of challenges in balancing the tensions of economic growth, poverty alleviation and climate mitigation.
You are also a youth member of the UN Environment Programme which is incredibly impressive! Tell us more about your role as a youth member in helping to shape international environmental legislation and organising campaigns and events to advocate for youth rights.
As a member of the youth constituency, I’ve had the opportunity to attend some of the negotiations such as the Annual CPR Sub-committee meeting last October. Throughout the year we also get to share our thoughts and feedback on policy, which is definitely exciting! I was also one of the co-organisers of the 2020 Youth Environment Assembly, where we brought together thousands of youth virtually to advance collective climate action. The event was attended by multiple high-level speakers including the UNEP leadership and Ministers of UN member states.
