Copyright © 2013 Singtel (CRN: 199201624D). All Rights Reserved 7.1 MANAGE WASTE AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESPONSIBLY As one of the largest companies in Singapore, Singtel aims to lead by example in managing our waste responsibly. Waste management is a major issue for Singapore due to the lack of available physical space, so we need to be especially mindful to reduce the amount of waste we generate in the 1st place.   The core of our strategy for waste management lies in creating awareness. Firstly, creating an awareness of the major initiatives within Singtel and the links between company targets and individual employee actions and secondly, awareness that small, everyday actions can have much larger collective impact.   Some examples of new initiatives and investments we have made are related to digital projects, aimed at cutting down on resource use such as paper, storage and travel, as well as the utilisation of physical space:   • Implementation of a site-level manual tracking system for non-hazardous waste     • Commenced implementation of managed printing networks to reduce waste by holding print jobs until the user ‘taps’ the staff access card on the network printer     • The continuation of ‘Learn-on-the-Go’, an e-learning/ m-learning platform that promotes and expands the virtual classroom and learning opportunities for employees     • Board meetings are paperless as Directors are provided with tablet devices to read Board papers prior to and during meetings     Hazardous and non-hazardous waste A key aspect of our EMS is the responsible disposal of waste materials generated from our operations. We continue to monitor our waste and track targets to assess the types and levels of materials used and disposed of. We ensure that registered and licensed waste management companies are engaged to dispose of all hazardous electrical and electronic component waste as well as inflammable fuels.   We report on three main categories of hazardous waste. There was a 6% decline in the disposal of scrap copper cables from 1,418 tonnes in FY2012 to 1,334 tonnes in FY2013, and a fall in scrap optical fibre cables, down 21% from 602 tonnes to 474 tonnes in the same period due to the completion of the NBN fibre rollout. The disposal of lead acid batteries increased by 23% to 398 tonnes due to a phasing out and replacement programme.   Hazardous Waste Generation (tonnes)   The main categories for non-hazardous waste are general solids (or daily rubbish) and cafeteria waste. In FY2013, both types broadly generated the same amount of waste as the previous year. General waste increased slightly by 0.3% to 1,717 tonnes while cafeteria waste was marginally lower by about 1% at 369 tonnes. Our biggest staff cafeteria at our headquarters at Comcentre serves our staff and members of the public.   We monitor paper usage by tracking the amount purchased in addition to consumption via the Managed Printing System (MPS). The MPS uses ‘Tap Printing’ which reduces unnecessary waste by holding print jobs until users tap their staff access cards on the network printer. Purchase of paper reduced by 14% and paper usage on MPS declined by 21%. We have also converted all purchase of white photocopying paper to Forest Stewardship Council or FSC-certified paper since September 2012. We use 100% recycled paper for Singtel-branded bags at our retail shops and biodegradable plastic bags for mobile phones trade-in.   Non-Hazardous Waste Generation (tonnes)     Paper purchased vs Paper consumed via MPS (reams)     Waste recycling In FY2012, we recycled 24% of our total waste. This includes recycling nearly 45% of our hazardous waste, mainly through recycling scrap copper cables. We continue our recycling efforts at our premises across Singapore and aim to further increase our level of recycling.   Singtel was the 1st mobile phone operator in Singapore to provide customers with the facility to recycle their mobile phones. Together with our partner Nokia, we have been encouraging our customers to reduce waste and recycle and making it as easy as possible for them to do so. Since the programme was launched in March 2011, we have collected more than 2,000 mobile phones.