“NEWBrew” is no ordinary beer but it is produced from treated wastewater and recycled into drinking water.

The product of a national project, “NEWBrew” was introduced in 2018 during a water conference. Today, a partnership between the National Water Authority of Singapore (PUB) and local brewery Brewerkz is available on supermarket shelves and in restaurants. It is made of treated wastewater.

Mr. Chew Wei Lian, 58, bought this beer from the supermarket after hearing about it. “I don't believe this is a beer made from sewage. I wouldn't notice a difference when I had them in the fridge. I think it tastes like beer and I love beer,” said Mr. Chew.

NEWBrew is a name inspired by NEWater, Singapore's recycled water brand, and the initials of Brewerkz's beer business. NEWater is the product that has helped improve the island's water security.

PUB says the new beer is part of an effort to educate Singaporeans on the importance of recycling and using water sustainably.

The idea of turning wastewater into drinking water has been met with fierce opposition. However, it gained support over the past decade as the global supply of fresh water became increasingly strained. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that up to 2.7 billion people regularly live without water for at least one month each year.

Meanwhile, advanced economies such as Israel and Singapore have had to invest heavily to address their freshwater scarcity. One of them is the technology to recycle wastewater into drinkable water. Major cities like Los Angeles and London are looking to follow what these two countries have done.

According to the manufacturer's share, wastewater will be disinfected with ultraviolet rays before going through a rigorous filtration process to remove polluting impurities. However, the key to success is convincing the public that once the wastewater is treated, it becomes clean water.

“NEWater is perfect for brewing because it has a neutral taste. The mineral composition of water plays an important role in the chemical reactions of the brewing process," says Mitch Gribov, Brewerks' lead beer expert.

In fact, Singapore is not the first place in the world to use recycled wastewater for beer production. Nya Carnegie Brewery based in Stockholm, Sweden has partnered with Carlsberg Group and the Swedish Environmental Research Institute IVL to launch a beer brewed from treated wastewater. Village Brewery in Canada teamed up with researchers from the University of Calgary and US water technology company Xylem to create its own beer from recycled wastewater.

However, not everyone is comfortable with this beer made from recycled wastewater. “There are a lot of beers. If I drink, I will choose the one made from ordinary water," said Low Yu Chen, a 22-year-old student.

However, the objections do not reduce the appeal of this product. The first batch of NEWBrew was quickly sold out in Brewerkz restaurants. The company expects the products to be sold out in supermarkets by the end of July. However, the company is still assessing the market to see if it decides to continue producing this product.

With a population of 5.7 million people living on an area of only 726 square kilometers (less than a quarter of the size of the capital Hanoi), Singapore is still famous around the world for its green and clean living environment. However, this is the result of a long process to preserve the island's environment.

According to the National Environment Agency of Singapore (NEA), every day, the island nation generates about 31,023 tons of garbage of all kinds, of which 58% is recycled, 41% is treated by burning and only 2% is sent to landfill. bury. Meanwhile, incineration also generates electricity, meeting 3% of the island nation's electricity demand.

In 1979, Singapore began construction of its first waste incineration plant. Up to now, they have 4 such factories. In 1999, the country also invested nearly 650 million USD to build the first marine landfill with the ability to operate until 2045. It is called Semakau.

Semakau landfill bury non-recyclable or non-recyclable garbage and ashes after burning. After burying garbage and ashes, people will fill the soil and plant trees, the purpose of which is to help insects and birds come to live. Currently, the Semakau landfill has become Singapore's most famous bird-watching site.

Besides the treatment, processing of waste and waste water is also very focused in Singapore. In addition to investing in technology, Singapore also focuses on sorting and treating waste right from the source. A process called 3R (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) aims to reduce waste in the first place, reuse and recycle as much as possible.

For reducing waste in the first place, Singapore brought together companies to commit to reducing materials in packaging to reduce waste and save costs. As of July 2019, there were 239 parties with 54,000 tons of packaging waste reduced. In addition, raising people's awareness is also continuously focused.

With a small area, large population, waste treatment and recycling, wastewater became a vital requirement for Singapore and they succeeded.

According to Economic Life