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IMPACT 0515: SOLVING PLASTIC WASTE IN BUBBLE TEA

Youth Action Challenge (YAC) is a platform for youth to provide solutions that tackle the issues we are concerned about. Since October 2021, over 80 teams and more than 310 youths have undertaken the YAC Season 3 journey.

Chyanne Teo, 18, is from Team BUBBLON, and is currently a JC 2 student. Their team consists of Alicia, Olivia, and herself, and they came together as they are passionate about solving the problem of plastic waste in Singapore.

The three of them are bubble tea lovers and they are concerned about the plastic waste it produces in Singapore. Hence, they wanted to play their part in saving the environment and BUBBLON was born!

Today, Chyanne shares more about her journey.

What was your role within your YAC project?

My role was the note-taker, and I helped in planting and developing our main focus of reducing plastic waste in Singapore.

What motivated you to join YAC?

I wanted to make use of this opportunity to learn new skills, while also helping to reduce the problem of plastic waste in Singapore.

Can you share with us your experience with your YAC project?

During the few months of participating in various YAC workshops and sessions, I have gained many new skills from the different mentors. I also learned a lot about the manufacturing process of silicon bubble tea cups and how different cup designs would affect the usability of the cup.

What are some challenges you faced while working on your YAC project?

We faced some difficulty in contacting bubble tea companies for collaborations.

Could you share more on how your project has a positive impact?

Although our team has decided not to continue with this project as we want to focus more on our studies, I believe our project has made bubble tea lovers more aware of the waste generated from plastic bubble tea cups. We also hope to inspire and encourage them to bring their own reusable cups whenever they drink bubble tea.

Were there any key takeaways or learning points from your time with YAC?

Our team was lucky to be paired with such skilled mentors with various expertise, and we were able to gain a lot of new skills and knowledge from them. I have learned more about the manufacturing industry as well as the bubble tea industry, and of course, what various stakeholders are doing about plastic waste in Singapore.